Question

Read the passages below and answer the question. “Two children I know got employment in a factory when they were five years old…the spinning men or women employ children if they can get a child to do their business…the child is paid one shilling or one shilling and six pence, and they will take that (five year old) child before they take an older one who will cost more.” --George Gould, a Manchester merchant, written in 1816. “The smallest child in the factories were scavengers……they go under the machine, while it is going…it is very dangerous when they first come, but they become used to it.” --Charles Aberdeen worked in a Manchester cotton factory, written in 1832. Based on the passages above, what are two possible reasons factory owners employed children? Explain your answer using evidence from the text. Write your response in at least four sentences.

Answer 1

One reason factory owners employed children because they were significantly cheaper than hiring an adult. "the child is paired one shilling or one shilling and six pence". This shows that it's more cost efficient to hire a child.

Another reason factory owners employed children because of their size. Here is a quote to support this "The smallest child in the factories were scavengers they go under the machine". This shows that if the child is smaller they can do more dangerous jobs than an adult.