What was life like in the 1900s for children?

Answer 1

For many children in the early 19th century things grew worse! The industrial revolution created a huge demand for female and child labor. Children had always done some work but at least before the 19th century they worked in their own homes with their parents or on land nearby. Children's work was largely seasonal so they did have some time to play. When children worked in textile factories they often worked for more than 12 hours a day.

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Answer 2

Depends on where you were and how rich your parents were. The following comments were for the well off countries in Europe and North America.Poor kids mostly lived in filth with no education.They were put to work early and worked in hard dangerous jobs.

Rich kids were taught to be proper but the girls were regarded as not quite people with no future but to get married and have babies. Girls did not need an education - obviously.

As far as health went they were subject to any diseases and incurable medical problems - that included anything that disunite heal itself - diarrhea, Diabetes, infected cuts, food poisoning, tooth decay were all killers. Any bacterial or viral disease was a killer - no medicines were available. Surgery was usually without anaesthesia. Childhood death was a frequent reality as any trip to a local od cemetery will confirm.

In houses sanitation was poor - bugs, no flush toilets, bathing was infrequent, no food refrigeration, everyone smoked.

Children has no rights - remember the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) was originally the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and Animals.

Children of unwed mothers were treated as, essentially, slsves working at hard labour for free in orphanages and work houses.