Ideal versus reality? The domesticity ideal and household labour relations in Dutch industrializing regions, circa 1890

Figures & data

Table 1. Female labour force participation in Western Europe 1850–1930 (percentage of women with a listed occupation).

Year	Belgium	France	Germany	Netherlands	UK
1850	38			24	30
1860	36	25		18	28
1870	36	24			28
1880	34	30	24		25
1890	29	33	25	15	27
1900	29	35		17	25
1910	25	39	30	18	26
1920	21	42	35	18	26
1930	24	37	34	19	27

Source: Pott-Buter (1993, p. 21).

Figure 1. Percentage of women and children with a listed occupation in the 1899 census.

Source: Dutch occupational census (1899).

Table 2. Men and women working in an industrial enterprise and the total population, Enschede, 1889.

	Men/boys			Women/girls
Age	Working	Total	% working	Working	Total	% working
12–13	65	152	43	50	189	27
13–14	93	190	49	74	163	45
14–16	209	312	67	194	282	69
16–18	188	297	63	187	301	62
>18 unmarried	2096	4176	50	692	1869^a	37
>18 married				228	2531	9
Total	2651	5127	52	1425	5053	28

Source: Industrial census (1889).

^a Including widows.

Table 3. Increasing number of spindles and looms in use in Enschede 1895–1917 (1895 = 100).

	No. of spindles	Index	No. of looms	Index
1895	110.780	100	6.130	100
1900	198.690	179	7.722	126
1905	253.358	229	9.587	156
1907	288.086	260	10.784	176
1917	439.240	396	14.677	239

Source: Municipal records of Enschede (1895–1917).

Table 4. Wages and working hours of homeworkers, 1909.

	N	Average wage per week (f)	Average wage per hour (f)	Average amount of working hours per week
Man alone	146	7.87	0.10	76.1
Woman alone	114	3.82	0.07	56.7
Man + woman	75	8.64	0.09	100.5

Source: Posthumus (1909).

Figure 2. Income composition of four prototypes of households.

Source: Arbeidsinspectie (1890a, 1890b).

Table 5. Labour relations in four prototypes of households.

	Household 1	Household 2	Household 3	Household 4
Husband	Wage labour	Wage labour	Wage labour	Wage labour
Wife	Wage labour + reproductive labour	Part-time wage labour + reproductive labour	Part-time wage labour + reproductive labour	Reproductive labour
Children	Wage labour (1 child)	Wage labour (2 children)	Cannot (be expected) to work	Cannot (be expected) to work
Subsistence farming	Reciprocal labour for the household	Reciprocal labour for the household	Non-existent	Reciprocal labour for the household

Pott-Buter, H. A. (1993). Facts and fairy tales about female labor, family and fertility. A seven-country comparison, 1850–1990. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.

 Google Scholar

Industrial census. (1889). Retrieved from http://www.neha.nl/struve/.

 Google Scholar

Posthumus, N. W. (1909). Huisindustrie in Nederland. Loon- en arbeidsverhoudingen. Catalogus der voorwerpen aanwezig op de Nederlandsche tentoonstelling van huisindustrie te Amsterdam [Home industry in the Netherlands. Wages and labour relations. Catalogue of the objects displayed at the Dutch exhibition of the home industry in Amsterdam]. Amsterdam: Commissie van Enquête.

 Google Scholar

Arbeidsinspectie (1890a). Enquête, gehouden door de staatscommissie benoemd krachtens de wet van 10 Januari 1890 (Staatsblad no. 1) (Tweede Afdeeling) [Survey by the commission of the state, appointed by virtue of the law of 10 January 1890 (Sheet 1) (Second department)]. The Hague: Van Weelden & Mingelen.

 Google Scholar

Arbeidsinspectie (1890b). Verslag omtrent het onderzoek ingesteld door de Tweede Afdeeling der Staats-commissie van Arbeids-enquête, benoemd krachtens de wet van 19 Januari 1890 (Staatsblad no 1) [Report of the research by the Second Department of the state commission of the labour surveys, appointed by the law of January 10, 1890 (Sheet 1)]. The Hague: Van Weelden & Mingelen.

 Google Scholar