The Change in Child Labor Laws in The Twenty First Century

Poor families required their children to work to support the family.  There was no limitation on the kind of work that they could do.  However, in reality, children were only able to produce about 7% of the income of males.  They were bullied into working hard labor and dangerous machines.  For instance, in Massachusetts, children aged twelve years old and under hauled large loads of glass at night earning only $1.10 per night.  The cost of raising children exceeded the income that the children brought into the family and the families required the children to turn over all of their money to the parents.  Therefore, parents did not realize that child labor was not profitable for them.  However, it was profitable for the business owners, as the wages for children were lower.

Reforms in the workplace began when teachers, labor groups, and churches protested this unfair labor practice.  Charles Dickens’ book Oliver Twist was based on the unfair child labor practices in England.  England was the first to revise their laws in 1802 and other European countries followed suit soon after.  However, the United States did not revise their laws until 1813 when Connecticut passed a law requiring children to attend school.  Now there are laws limiting the employment age of children, the number of hours they can work, as well as the type of employment in which they can engage.      

On May 20, 2010, the United States Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division published new rules entitled, The Final Rule, regarding the safety of children in the workplace and the value of safe work.  This was a revision of the previous child labor requirements that have been in force for thirty years.

For instance, there are rules which protect children under eighteen years old in such occupations as poultry slaughtering and packaging plants, riding on a forklift as a passenger, work in the forestry profession, operating power driven hoists and work assist vehicles, operating non-paper product balers and compactors and operating power driven chain saws, wood chippers, reciprocating saws and abrasive cutting discs.  Since these jobs are considered hazardous, children under age sixteen cannot work in these jobs in most states.  

Because we are at the turn of the century and living in the Digital Age, there have been some changes in the employment prospects for children. The old laws prohibited children from engaging in employment other than retail, food service, and gasoline service establishments.  They can now enjoy safe employment in advertising, banking, and the information technology industries, computer programming, drawing, and teaching.  Additionally, sixteen and seventeen year olds can now operate power driven pizza dough rollers and portable counter top food mixers.

In conclusion, the Child Labor Laws have evolved over the years as jobs have changed.  The workplace is safer today than it was for children when the first English settlers came to the United States.