Children were put in situation where they had to choose between school and work. Most times the choice was work because they had to support their family. Child laborer took advantage of this. They hired children from about ages four to fourteen to work in factories or on the farm. The children worked long hours with minimal breaks. They worked in hazardous conditions that often injured them or made them ill. There were no laws put in place to protect the children. European Industrialization benefited greatly from accessible and affordable child laborers throughout the 1800’s.
Children sacrificed their health and education to earn a family living. Factories were not the most sanitary places to work especially for an innocent and fragile child. Children were exposed to many different illnesses while working in factories. They worked for such long hours without any proper ventilation. There were minimal breaks but very long shifts. In factories, many fatal accidents took place involving children. Children were paid less than adult because of their desperation for money. School was not a primary priority because it could not help their families financial issues. School was not a priority also because there wasn't
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The minimum age to work was nine. They were able to work nine hours instead of twelve but they still had to attend school. Then the Factory Act of 1844 was passed. The children worked half of the day and went to school half of the day. The next act that was passed was the Factory Act of 1847. It changed the ages for children to work in the factory from 9 to 12 to 10 to 13. Schooling was different for working children. Some attended schools in the same building as their job so they could some work will getting their education. Some also attended school outside of their workplace. Education wasn't important though, the acts were passed so the children wouldn't work more than 48 hours a