The creation of a gendered division of labour in mule spinning: Evidence from Samuel Oldknow, 1788-92

Tertzakian, A. (2024) The creation of a gendered division of labour in mule spinning: Evidence from Samuel Oldknow, 1788-92. Enterprise and Society: The International Journal of Business History, (doi: 10.1017/eso.2023.56) (Early Online Publication)

Abstract

The spinning mule was one of the most important innovations in the rise of the British cotton industry during the Industrial Revolution. First introduced in 1780, the mule’s diffusion overturned the traditional division of labor in spinning from women to men. This article produces new insights on this process by examining the business records of Samuel Oldknow, a pioneer of fine cotton manufacturing and an early adopter of the technology during the understudied transition period of the late 1780s and early 1790s, when the machine was still hand powered before the factory system. It demonstrates that strength was the most important factor in shaping the gendered division of labor in mule spinning. Although no direct gender-pay discrimination is evident, men’s earnings were higher because of the physical effort required to operate the larger mules that more easily produced the finest yarns that secured the highest piece rates. Crucially, this shift of the gender division of labor predated factory mule spinning.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Early Online Publication
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Tertzakian, Dr Alexander
• Authors: Tertzakian, A.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Economic and Social History
• Journal Name: Enterprise and Society: The International Journal of Business History
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• ISSN: 1467-2227
• ISSN (Online): 1467-2235
• Published Online: 11 January 2024
• Copyright Holders: Copyright: © The Author(s), 2024
• First Published: First published in Enterprise and Society: The International Journal of Business History 2024
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy