ABSTRACT

The dimensions of inequality among adults were defined by sex and age as well as social class. A working man enjoyed his most prosperous years in his twenties. Both skilled men who had completed their training and labourers in full strength were at the height of their earning powers, and if they had married their families were still small enough not to drag them back into poverty. A prospect of a higher income in later years was only open for the few who crossed into the middle classes, either through setting up on their own or by becoming foremen.