Factories that came up during the Industrial Revolution changed the way people lived and worked in a dramatic way. Urbanisation made families move to the cities in order to get work. As a result, these urban areas became more and more overcrowded. They were often dirty and unhealthy places to live in because of the pollution that came from factories and iron mills.

Factory work created many problems for labourers. For the first time in history, a large number of people had to work together in the same place. Machines forced workers to work quickly and without much rest.

The workday began and ended at certain times. Many factory people worked up to 16 hours a day for very little money, because factory owners wanted to keep production costs low. Sometimes whole families went to work in factories: while men were employed at iron and steel mills ,women and children found work in new textile factories. However, working conditions were bad and many workers became ill and died. There was no union at that time to protect them.

Although lower and middle class workers led a hard and troublesome life, middle and upper class citizens improved their lifestyle. They gained more power and money.

The Industrial Revolution also led to an increase in Great Britain’s population because people had better housing and better medical care in the towns and, thus, lived longer.

Work in a factory 
Image: US National Archives, Public Domain