The Lifecycle of the Coal Mining Industry and the Miners’ Families: Mining Innovation and Women’s Work

Abstract

This paper introduces the process by which coal mining technology was transformed and the miners’ labour and their families’ lives changed. During the development stage of the industry, miners and their families aimed at maintaining and enriching their lives, actively engaging with company management through their work, the mining community, and the union. The characteristics of miners’ labour, which involved heavy labour underground and shift work by the week, directly influenced their families’ daily living hours. They had to make a priority of the reproduction of miners’ labour, so miners and wives divided their roles by gender. However, when the industry faced decline, it became difficult for them to continue their lifestyle. In the end, the miners’ lifestyle changed to that of manufacturing industry workers, who earned a fixed salary and had their own house.