Victorian Living standards Flashcards
a)By what percentage had working class money wages increased by between 1850- 1875 and b) who benefitted from this the most?
a)50%
b)skilled workers
a)By what percentages had prices increased and b) how much had real wages increased
a)20%
b) 30%
What changes in daily life improved the quality of life for workers?
-Rise in real wages increased which allowed great access to:
meat (tinned and refrigerated for low prices)
Fish and chips
cheaper sugar
soap
leisure opportunities at music hall
football
-4 bank holidays after 1871
Identify data that illustrates the decline in poorly paid agricultural work between 1850 and 1911?
-1.4m in 1850
-0.97m in 1911
What fractions accounted for housing costs of workers?
1/4 to 1/2
How and why does statistical evidence of the unemployed inhibit entirely accurate assessment of living standards for the period?
-No unemployment figures kept by the government so numbers are uncertain
-Unemployed do not benefit from rising money wages or real wages so do not experience ILS
Use data to identify the decline in Poor law relief between 1850 and 1880.
-1850: 1m
-1880: 808,000
Why should data on the Poor law treated with caution?
-Data is incomplete as workers hated outdoor relief which meant they often did not claim it so not included in figures about poverty
What percentage of York and the Uk did Rowntree estimate live below the poverty line?
-30%
a)Did the working classes share of national wealth double or triple but b) how much had national wealth increased by in the same period?
a)Doubled
b)National wealth had quadrupled
What was the infant mortality rate in 1890 and why does this indicate a lack of progress in the 19th century?
154/1000 infants and numbers increased in 1890.
What is the phrase used in 19th and 20th century that divides men and women in the world of work?
-Separate spheres: public and private sphere (work and domestic sphere)
Assess the numbers of women working in the period.
-Decline in numbers working in industry as nature of work and male TU’s discouraged it, apart from Cotton
-Industry inaccessible to women so missed higher wages
What were the 2 biggest employers of women in the period?
1)domestic service- 1.1m; 1.81m in 1911(poorly paid)
2)textile industries – poorly paid
a)How did working class women supplement the household income and b) why does it inhibit an entirely accurate assessment of living standards?
a) Penny capitalism (baking and washing)
a)what new employment opportunities arose for women in the late victorian period and b) numbers of female workers in 1862 and 1900?
a)Teaching, Nursing, clerks and retail
b) 1862 = 184,000 female workers
1900 = 562,000
Why should working class women’s domestic work at home be included in any assessment of living standards?
-it was hard and unpaid
a)in 1871, how many brides could not write their name on the wedding register and b) why
a) over 1/4
b)Domestic demands restricted female education which would prevent their education
What percentage of British millionaires were landowners?
-90% - aristocrats still living a good life
Using percentages of national income, explain the decline experienced in agriculture?
-it halved:
1851 = 20%
1881 = 10.4%
Why did land become a problem for aristocratic landowners?
-Decline in value due to decline in farming and agriculture (repeal of corn laws 1846)
Using two examples, explain how the aristocracy benefitted from industry.
-Lord Londonderry owned land containing vast coal reserves; duke of Devonshire owned land in Barrow which was a site of shipbuilding
Why and how did the middle classes experience improved living standards in the period?
-Share of wealth increased
-greater opportunities in finance, trade and professions and industry
a)How much did the payment of income tax increase and b)why is it relevant to the growth of the middle classes?
a)growth of Income tax meant it was now paid by m/c and doubled to 900,000 paying it
b)W/c did not pay it
What ultimately shows that people did not experience significant ILS in victorial period?
-2/3rd of men were denied from fighting in Boer war on the grounds of being unfit to fight
Were their regional differences in ILS?
-Yes, parts of Scotland such as crofters were worse off.
