ABSTRACT
The passivity of British and American women workers during the Industrial Revolution has been assumed, partly because women rarely joined trade unions. Union members were the most visible protestors against the perceived injustices of the factory system, particularly in Britain. However, focusing purely on unions overlooks less structured forms of protest, including workers’ quickly organizing to protest a singular issue and disbanding after its resolution. Evidence presented in Chapter 5 demonstrated one form of the cotton operatives’ power as they challenged manufacturers with their efforts to arrange the workday to suit their individual needs and priorities, particularly the women. Yet women were also concerned with other issues. Their collective efforts to improve their terms and conditions not only demonstrated women’s power as workers, but it also provided them with a common identity and legitimacy. By using their collective strength, the women influenced the terms and conditions under which they laboured. Moreover, their efforts were primarily directed towards local conditions and issues and were directly tied to the current state of the industry. By selectively choosing their timing and targets for protest, the women were again able to influence the rules of the game, but in a different fashion than men.
