The Labor Force During the First Industrial Revolution, many social norms of the community were beginning to change. As new spinning and weaving machines became available, textile mills were built to increase profits. The people who established these factories hired children and women to reduce their labor costs by paying them low wages and also providing them with poor working conditions. Labor has impacted American culture through various means, such as child labor conditions, women in factories, and immigrants working in factories. The working conditions the children faced were very demanding for a human being of such a small age. For example, “In the Manayunk district of Philadelphia, children as young as seven years old helped spin and weave cotton and wool items” (Wolensky 2). Children working in factories had the freedom of their childhood taken away. “In 1830, in a sample of 43 Manchester factories, 22.3% of the workforce was under 14 and 32.4% under 16” (Cunningham 412). This means that approximately 50% of the factory workforce was made up of children under the age of 16 and today in the United States a person cannot work until the age of 16 . “And that’s a hard thing for young kids.” be confined all day in a narrow, closed room. It affects their growth, makes them pale and sickly” (Nason). The time these children spent in factories prevented them from spending time with their neighbors, friends, and family. The fact that young children were required to work in these textile mills changed American culture about how the childhood years were supposed to be spent. Being part of the workforce was something new for American women, as they were expected..... . middle of article...... Family economies in Europe and North America since 1830." Economic History Review 53.3 (2000): 409-428. America: History and life. Web. May 1, 2014. 3) Davis, Kingsley. “Wives and work: the sex role revolution and its consequences. "Population & Development Review 10.3 (1984): 397-417. America: history and life. Web. May 1, 2014. 4) Foner, Eric. "Give me freedom! An American story. " Vol. 1. 4th ed. New York: WW Norton & Company, 2005. 318-353. Print.5) Nason, Elias. " "Factories considered schools of vice": Elias Nason considers careers " Factories are considered schools of vice": Elias Nason considers careers. New York, Harper and Row, 1981. Web. May 1, 2014. http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5831/6) Wyatt, Lee T. The Industrial Revolution Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2009. Greenwood Guides to Historical Events., 1500-1900.