Gender and Class in Chartism

Abstract

The first half of the nineteenth century witnessed important changes in the economic sphere, and these had serious reper-cussions on social, including gender relations. In many trades, cheap, unskilled and often female labour was given preference over skilled men demanding higher wages. In textiles — and cotton in particular — an ever larger share of the production moved from home into factories, which relied on a predominantly female and juvenile workforce. This transition of labour from formal to real subordination under capital resulted in significant changes, at least in weaving, among the male personnel wielding authority over the female and juvenile operatives.