THE LIVING STANDARDS OF WOMEN DURING THE INDUSTRIAL-REVOLUTION, 1795-1820

Debates over working-class living standards and the changing position of women during the industrial revolution remain unresolved. Both deba tes are hindered by limitations on the evidence. Wages data nearly alw ays refer to male wage rates, saying nothing about women's wages or al location of resources within families. Evidence regarding the impact o f industrialization on women has been equally inconclusive. This artic le uses a new method (auxology) and a new dataset (heights of convict women and men) to examine the relationship between the labour market, living standards, and gender. It concludes that as work opportunities for women declined, particularly in the countryside, women's share of household resources dwindled and women's living standards fell.