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Improving factory working conditions

Study note

Conditions in factories had been very harsh during the early Industrial Revolution, but they gradually improved as the Victorian period went on. Reformers pushed for new laws to protect the most vulnerable workers, especially women and children.

A key reform came in 1847, when a law limited the number of hours that women and children were allowed to work to a maximum of 10 hours per day. This is the fact to remember: the 1847 law capped their working day at 10 hours, rather than setting wages, the voting age or the age of marriage. Alongside this, better housing began to be built for workers, slowly raising the standard of living for many ordinary people.

Memory tip: 1847. Women and children's factory hours limited to 10 per day.

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What did an 1847 law limit for women and children working in factories?

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Improving factory working conditions: questions, answers and explanations

  1. 1. What did an 1847 law limit for women and children working in factories?

    • The age they could marry
    • Their working hours to 10 per day
    • Their right to vote
    • Their wages

    Correct answer: Their working hours to 10 per day

    In 1847 the law limited the working hours of women and children to 10 hours per day.

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