What is a match girl industrial revolution?
Matchgirls worked in match factories. One of their jobs was to dip the tips of wooden matches into a chemical called phosphorous. Most of the workers in match factories were women and many of them were young girls between the age of 13 and 16. They became known by the nickname “matchgirls.”
What did a matchstick girl do?
The story of the British matchstick girls who in 1888 took strike action against the dominating, patriarchal world of matchstick making isn’t well known. But these were the women who worked 14 hours a day in the East End of London and who were exposed to deadly phosphorous vapours on a daily basis.
What did the matchstick girls complain about?
The strike was caused by the poor working conditions in the match factory, including fourteen-hour workdays, poor pay, excessive fines, and the severe health complications of working with allotropes of white phosphorus, which caused phosphorus necrosis also known as phosphorimus chronicus or phossy jaw, and was sparked …
What is a Victorian match girl?
Match girls, during Victorian times, were little girls and adolescents who worked in match factories.
Does matchstick affect DNA?
Our study suggests that occupational exposure to airborne chemicals in matchstick manufacturing can damage the DNA of somatic cells (lymphocytes) and this could be an initial step in the process of chemical carcinogenesis.
Why did people get phossy jaw?
It was most commonly seen in workers in the matchstick industry in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was caused by white phosphorus vapor, which destroys the bones of the jaw. Modern occupational hygiene practices have since eliminated the working conditions that caused this disease.
How did matches impact the industrial revolution?
Friction matches gave people the unprecedented ability to light fires quickly and efficiently, changing domestic arrangements and reducing the hours spent trying to light fires using more primitive means.
Does phossy jaw still exist?
In the 19th century, some workers in match factories developed a condition called phossy jaw after being exposed to a chemical used in the match manufacturing process. This condition, clinically known as osteonecrosis of the jaw, vanished until it recently reappeared in the 21st century.
What were the outcomes of the strike at the match factory?
The strike finally ended after the workers accepted a number of concessions offered by the company. These concessions included the abolition of the system of fining workers for being late, deductions from wages to cover cost of paste and brushes and the recognition of the Union of Women Match Makers by management.
What do you mean by phossy jaw?
/ (ˈfɒsɪ) / noun. a gangrenous condition of the lower jawbone caused by prolonged exposure to phosphorus fumes.
What’s phossy jaw?
Phossy jaw, formally known as phosphorus necrosis of the jaw, was an occupational disease affecting those who worked with white phosphorus (also known as yellow phosphorus) without proper safeguards. It was most commonly seen in workers in the matchstick industry in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
How did matches help people?
Friction Matches Were a Boon to Those Lighting Fires–Not So Much to Matchmakers. Friction matches gave people the unprecedented ability to light fires quickly and efficiently, changing domestic arrangements and reducing the hours spent trying to light fires using more primitive means.
Who were the matchstick girls and why did they strike?
The story of the British matchstick girls who in 1888 took strike action against the dominating, patriarchal world of matchstick making isn’t well known. But these were the women who worked 14 hours a day in the East End of London and who were exposed to deadly phosphorous vapours on a daily basis.
What is a match girl from the Industrial Revolution?
Match girl from the Industrial Revolution. During the Industrial Revolution, match girls were young girls (4-16 years old) that made matches. They made them by dipping the ends of the match sticks into a harsh, toxic chemical called phosphorous.
What was the impact of the Match Girl strike of 1888?
The match girl strike had provided an impetus for other working class labour activists to set up unskilled worker unions in a wave that became known as “New Unionism”. The 1888 match girl strike had paved the way for important changes in the industrial setting but more still needed to be done.
How were matchsticks made in the past?
Matchstick making was incredibly popular in 19th century England, with hundreds of factories spread across the country. For 12 to 16 hours a day, workers dipped treated wood into a phosphorus concoction, then dried and cut the sticks into matches. Some of the matches produced by Bryant & May.