Subsistence Conditions Of Female Domestic Servants In English Cities 1600-1750

With the development of urbanization and the large-scale migration of village labor, female domestic servants had grown up in English cities from the 17th century to the middle of the 18th century. This paper analyses its causation, dwells on the subsistence conditions of female domestic servants in English cities, including their tasks, wages, remuneration and difficulties faced by them in order to reveal domestic servant as an occupation was an effective way entering into city life for female emigrants from village in social substratum: female domestic servants can acquire the experience of housewifery, accumulate necessary dowry to their future marriage and gain the relative independence in economy. In addition, domestic service in cities played a considerable part in the period of social transition. On one hand, poor girls were trained as apprentices in domestic service to ensure their subsistence, which was an important measure to cope with the problem of poverty in the area of official poor relief and social charity. On the other hand, female domestic servant became an occupation that was undertaken by a large number of female emigrants from village in social substratum, which was a resultful channel to resolve the problem of poverty out of the area of official poor relief and social charity.