Migration, job opportunities, and households of metalworkers in 19th-century Austria

Abstract

Little research has been done on small and medium-sized Austrian cities and villages whose path of development well into the 20th century has been characterized by the 19th-century process of industrialization. The questions that need answers concern the origins of the large industrial workforce of these cities and towns, their paths of migration, the length of their stays and opportunities for establishing permanent roots, their chances of marrying and starting a family, the household and family structures specific to various segments of this group, their integration into or exclusion from their respective urban or village societies, and their contribution to the social and political development of these industrial centers. The full picture will take a long time to complete. The results of the present microanalytic investigation of metalworkers in 19th-century Lower Austria, in the meantime, suggest that a strong relationship existed between the place of origin of those laborers and their occupation, age of marriage, position in the household, and household structure.

Keywords:

• Migration
• Job opportunities
• Households
• Austria
• Industrialization