Modern Industrial Workers Study (1861-1945)

This paper mainly reappears Shanghai female workers' working and living conditions from the perspective of social history, and analyzes the interactive relations between the modern Shanghai society and the female workers , makes an inspection of their own liberation degree.Accompanied by modern Shanghai economy development, Modern Shanghai industrial female workers developed constantly. Their quantity was large, their work scope was broad, and they had made important contributions to Shanghai. However, they worked in bad conditions, long hours, but got low wages without security safeguard. They ate and wore bad, lived poor lives in crowded room, walked difficultly, and entertained less. Their heavy work affected their families, their marriages and childbirth were restricted,they were in the dilemma between the work and the family.In order to change their bad conditions,the female workers carried on protests, they participated in the strikes actively, got sympathy and support of the public. Before 1919, most of strikes were spontaneous economic struggle, and failed; After 1919, their political aim strengthened, from the spontaneous stage to the aware stage, and aroused the concern from the Chinese Communist Party; Their education had enhanced after studying in the Young Women's Christian Association female worker night school; They joined in the anti-Japanese salvation movement positively, and made their own contributions for the nation's sacred war. Compared with the female workers of other cities, Shanghai female workers had walked in the forefront of the times; Compared with the Chinese traditional female, they presented some new trends, opposing the feudal marriage and requesting independent marriage; seeking the knowledge earnestly and requesting progress; enhancing their own consciousness, caring national affairs and so on. But compared with Shanghai male workers, they were still in the weak position, for example, the same labor but lower rewards, lower levels of literacy, technology and organization etc. From the women's liberation view, modern Shanghai industrial female workers' liberation degree was still not high.