Chapter 8 - Heywood

Children at work

Overview

    - Thing of history - think of child labour

    - Children in a wider world

              - Healthcare

              - Working

    - Common opinion that childhood was bad, but not as bad as we think

    - Not as bad or widespread as we think

    - Reformed movements

              - Have to bring in law to take children out of workplace

              - Bring them into school

    - By the 20th century western society was really using schools

Pre-urbanization

    - Most children lived in the country with family

    - Casual undemanding work on the family farm

              - In the home

              - On the farm

              - In workshop

    - Children under 10 are just there for liability because they are not doing anything - started working between ages of 10-14

    - Slavery is absurd

Industrial Context

     - Peak of child exploitation for child labour

     - Major health problem

     - Moral decline

     - Exposed to harsh language

     - Rowdiness and horseplay


Coming from a farm, and still living on the farm today I find that I can really relate to the casual work on the farm and in the household. I started working on the farm when I was nine years old and have been working on it ever since. I only work at home everyother weekend now that I am going to college and working another job, but I still enjoy working at home because my mom and dad and brother work here full time when I work here it makes me feel closer to the family. I do think that child labour is wrong and should not be practiced anymore, I think that me working on the farm was more to give me some responsibility not that they actually needed me to work the farm.