Patriarchal exploitation, poverty and struggle: the paradoxes of women's working lives in Britain, 1850-1939

This article examines the everyday working lives of women, most particularly women of the urban poor, in Britain in the period 1850-1939. The specific focus is upon the way in which these women negotiated the institutions and structures of patriarchy. The issue of whether or not the women were exploited within the context of a patriarchal mode of production is explored. The evidence for the existence of this mode of production appears to be unequivocal. It is stressed, however, that the existence of exploitation should not blind us to the richly textured nature of these women's lives and, most importantly, it should not blind us to the women's ability to actively construct a world in which their lives had meaning and power.