Title: The Working Class in the Early 1900s | The Classroom
Headings: The Working Class in the Early 1900s
The Working Class in the Early 1900s
Rural Farmers
Factory Workers
Survival in the Lower Class
Growing Middle Class
Women in the Workplace

Content: Growing Middle Class
There was an increase in the middle class during the beginning of the 20th century. A surplus of jobs and increasing wages, especially for skilled workers and small business owners who specialized in particular trades, resulted in a growing middle class in urban areas. Experienced, skilled workers often held leadership roles in factories and industrial plants. The middle class enjoyed leisure, shopping, amusement parks, stadium sports, movies and recreation -- entertainment and resources that rural workers weren’t privy to. Department stores, restaurants and improved transportation systems made city life exciting and enjoyable for those in the working middle class who had disposable income to afford such luxuries. Women in the Workplace
As women entered the workforce, dynamics of the working class changed. Women pursued college education, fair labor laws and increased political freedoms. Some women competed for jobs that had once been available only to male workers. New jobs in industrialized cities were especially appealing to single women who put off motherhood and marriage for independence and economic pursuits. As a result, the average family size dropped from seven children to four children from the 1800s to early 1900s.