イギリス綿工業と児童労働 : 19世紀初期から戦間期まで

概要

論文の詳細を見る
The English cotton industry relied considerably upon child and juvenile labour throughout most of its existence. Although at first each mule spinner employed just one little piecer under the subcontract system, after the 1830s, as a result of both the enlargement and the increased speed of the mule, one spinner employed three or four little piecers. These were children and juveniles, who were skilled and hard-working but received well below the adult wage. As soon as they became eligible for the adult wage, they were replaced by children who were old enough to work. Almost the same story is applicable to the spinning process. From the beginning of the twentieth century there were repeated reports of a shortage of juvenile labour. What was the cause? First, there were the poor labour conditions for juveniles; second came the fact that the juvenile labour market had changed to a seller's market. Previously the cotton industry was the only trade in Lancashire that furnished juveniles and children with employment. However, in the twentieth century, employment opportunities appeared in other fields such as the distributive trades, furniture making and miscellaneous metal trades. The preferences of both children and their parents therefore shifted away from the cotton trade.
社会経済史学会の論文
2003-11-25