The Lives of Men and Women
It is critical to know the average lives of both men and women during this time period. Without this knowledge, one would not be able to fully understand that the gap between women and men was becoming considerably smaller as women became more and more active outside of the home. In the Industrial Age, men and women lived more similar lives than ever before. Many worked similar hours, in similar working conditions, and both often contributed to the war efforts.
The life of the average working man
While a lot of men did work in factories (usually dealing with guns, cars, shoes and even food), another huge grouping worked in mines or made railroads in hopes of gaining more money for their families. Men, even in an age where women and children were working as well, were still the main money makers of the house and often brought home the most money. They worked 10-12 hours in the beginning of the Industrial Revolution on average, and the majority of the workers were men who were either starting a family or had one already. Conditions were very poor and hot in nearly every job men could choose from. Some joined the army or navy as a slightly better conditioned work setting (although many joined to fight against slavery as the Civil War approached). Interestingly enough, men and women were starting to have similar roles for the time, as often the only true difference between the work they did was pay wages and job options.
The life of the average working woman
Like men, many women worked in extremely poor working conditions, usually in factories. However, women often worked in textile mills and factories that required smaller hands to accomplish. Women also were known to work in mines in this time frame, however not as much as men and children. Women, particularly those who were not married, often were the ideal due to the fact that they were less likely to leave the working force if they did not have a husband or children to take care of. Women, in the beginning of the American Industrial Revolution, women also worked long gruesome hours, around 10-12 hours. Women could not join the military, but that did not stop women from taking a stand on what they believed was right. Many women, working or not, were known to be strong advocates not only for women's suffrage, but the abolitionist movement as well. In fact, the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, one of the most upsetting, controversial and blatantly anti-slavery novel made during that time-frame, was written Harriet Beecher Stowe in the year 1852. The president, Abraham Lincoln reportedly told her during the war, "So this is the little lady who made the big war". Even during war there were women like Clara Barton, who became a nurse to help the soldiers in the Civil War. They got paid considerably less than their masculine counterparts, but it was a start in the right direction. Moderation was often an ongoing theme for this time period, after all.