The Creation of a Gendered Division of Labor in Mule Spinning: Evidence from Samuel Oldknow, 1788–1792

IF 0.7 2区 历史学 Q4 BUSINESS
Alexander Tertzakian
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The spinning mule was one of the most important innovations in the rise of the British cotton industry during the Industrial Revolution. First introduced in 1780, the mule’s diffusion overturned the traditional division of labor in spinning from women to men. This article produces new insights on this process by examining the business records of Samuel Oldknow, a pioneer of fine cotton manufacturing and an early adopter of the technology during the understudied transition period of the late 1780s and early 1790s, when the machine was still hand powered before the factory system. It demonstrates that strength was the most important factor in shaping the gendered division of labor in mule spinning. Although no direct gender-pay discrimination is evident, men’s earnings were higher because of the physical effort required to operate the larger mules that more easily produced the finest yarns that secured the highest piece rates. Crucially, this shift of the gender division of labor predated factory mule spinning.

骡子纺纱中性别分工的形成:塞缪尔-奥尔德诺的证据,1788-1792 年
纺纱骡是工业革命期间英国棉纺业崛起过程中最重要的创新之一。骡子于 1780 年首次问世,它的推广颠覆了纺纱行业从女性到男性的传统分工。这篇文章通过研究塞缪尔-奥尔德诺(Samuel Oldknow)的商业记录,对这一过程提出了新的见解。塞缪尔-奥尔德诺是精棉制造业的先驱,也是 1780 年代末和 1790 年代初这一研究不足的过渡时期的早期技术采用者,当时在工厂系统之前,机器仍由手工驱动。它表明,力量是形成骡纺行业性别分工的最重要因素。虽然没有明显的直接性别工资歧视,但由于操作较大的骡子需要耗费体力,因此男性的收入更高,他们更容易生产出最细的纱线,从而获得最高的计件工资。重要的是,这种性别分工的转变早在工厂化骡纺之前就出现了。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
1.20
自引率
30.00%
发文量
37
期刊介绍: Enterprise & Society offers a forum for research on the historical relations between businesses and their larger political, cultural, institutional, social, and economic contexts. The journal aims to be truly international in scope. Studies focused on individual firms and industries and grounded in a broad historical framework are welcome, as are innovative applications of economic or management theories to business and its context.
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