Industrial Revolution

1)

Along with the Industrial Revolution came astounding changes in a significant number of Canadian families. Before the arrival of the Industrial Revolution, it was typical to find a family that operated as a single entity. It was only natural to find a family operating with a working father solely responsible for providing for the family and a stay-at-home mother entirely in charge of the household and the upbringing of the children. However, this situation that was so molded into the daily lifestyles of Canadian families took a surprising turn as the Industrial Revolution commenced. The previous idea of an ideal family working as a unit shattered as the priorities of many transitioned from strong family values to a sudden urge to fulfill and exceed monetary needs. This in turn resulted in many families moving to newly emerging towns and cities in hope to snatch the newly available positions in the workforce. It was not just the men of these families who were working unreasonably long hours. Many women also found themselves out of their homes and into the working world. Even more surprising was the fact that children were now also a component of the workforce, as they were appealing to employers looking for labor. The children would accept low wages and they could complete tasks quicker than many adults. Due to their size, they could carry out many laborious activities with much more ease than grown adults. Although they were making more money than ever before, Canadian family dynamics were beginning to plummet as the interaction between the members of the family were at an all-time low. Another negative impact for the children was the fact that this newfound job was taking away time that should have been spent acquiring an education. Many parents deemed it appropriate for children not to attend school, as it was not mandatory. This would also be advantageous as the tuition fees were not affordable. From the parents’ perspective, the income brought back by the children outweighed the educational consequences, as the former option would benefit the overall family rather than just the individual child. In addition, parents convinced themselves that the work ethic instilled in the child was valuable enough to forsake schooling. Although this was true and children became very respectful and dutiful due to their new jobs, in no way was it appropriate for this to replace educational obligations. Again, this led to another element in the cycle. Canadian families were beginning to have more and more children in an effort to have several sources of income for the family. The birth rates in Canada began to skyrocket. Furthermore, these children weren’t receiving a sufficient amount of nutrients and this resulted in frequent illnesses. Additionally, because of the lack of family time, many children weren’t raised to the fullest resulting in a deficiency in manners and social norms. During this epoch, parents perceived their children merely as miniature versions of adults disregarding the fact that their levels of cognitive and social abilities weren’t as developed as they needed to be, for them to fit into the working world without any long-lasting consequences. (Voros, Lecture, Conway Pg.11-13)

This can be compared to the contrasting lifestyle that families lead today in the epoch of the Modern Times. Taking a look back into the past, it can be generalized that in the 60’s, women felt like their only role was to remain at home and take care of issues that arose there. In the 70’s, women began to work. However, their priorities had to remain being a wife and mother before being a workingwoman. Today, a woman has a choice to put her career before anything else if she pleases. Children in today’s Modern Times witness both parents leading a balanced lifestyle consisting of their work, their families, their social responsibilities, etc. (Voros, Lecture) As in the Industrial Revolution, children also work in the present. The major difference is that working today does not act as replacement of required education, but simply an addition. The majority of children work in the Modern Times of today, not to support their family and provide another income for all of their family members to live off of, but rather to support themselves through their education, lifestyles, leisure activities, etc. A downside to the contextualization of children in the Modern Times is the fact that many believe that children of today lack much of the respect, humility, work ethic and strong family values that the children of the Industrial Revolution once possessed. Once again, to compare the families of the Industrial Revolution and Modern Times, we see that in the past, the possibility of parents being able to affect the quality of their children’s lives were pretty slight. Parents of today have much more to pass on to their children, be it property, money or other tangible assets.