Industrial
Revolution &
Underclass Women
Introduction
After the removal of the Tokugawa regime through the Boshin War, with the installment of the new Meiji Government in Tokyo, Japan entered into a new economic race along with other powerful Western nations. For Japan to reach its massive growth in decades later, the process required the sacrifices of Japanese society’s underclasses; the women, the outcastes, the landless laborers, the prostitutes and the peasants. As being one of the prominent factors for this major economical achievement, it is important to closely understand about the female workers; specifically, this text will focus on the reasons for integrating women as a workforce, the harsh working and economical conditions given to the female workers, and the changes in their lifestyle and position of the society.
Image Description: Portrait Painting of the Meiji Emperor
From the TheJapanTimes
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