Abstract

This chapter discusses the role of women and children within early industrial communities, groups that are largely overlooked in industrial archaeological research. We use the early industrial Pikisaari pitch mill community in the town of Oulu, Northern Finland as a case study, which has yielded diverse archaeological evidence for the presence of women and children in the pitch mill area. By combining material culture and written records, this chapter looks at the economic, social, and cultural roles played by men, women, and children in a proto-industrial community. This chapter argues that women and children played an important role in the maintenance of internal social and power relations, as well as the labour system, within early industrial communities. A holistic understanding of early industrial communities and their everyday life can only be achieved through the analysis of social aspects, including the role of women and children.