Segmentation and gender wage disparities in the early industrial workforce: Insights from Arkwright’s Lumford Mill, 1786–1811

This article examines the gender wage gap and wage setting in the early cotton spinning factories of the industrial revolution, with a specific focus on Richard Arkwright’s Lumford Mill in Bakewell, Derbyshire. The research links workers from the mill’s wage books with parish baptism records to estimate ages and construct age–wage profiles in the spinning department. Findings show a significant gender wage gap emerging in adulthood, with women’s wages stagnating while men advanced to higher-paying roles such as overseers, indicating limited advancement for women. However, there is little evidence of gender wage discrimination among child workers. The gendered segmentation of the spinning workforce towards adulthood was the main cause of the wage gap. The analysis also reveals that weekly wage rates for children increased annually until adulthood. In rural mills such as Arkwright’s, attracting labour was crucial. Yearly wage increases incentivized loyalty and ensured workforce stability, despite potential mismatches between wages and worker productivity.