Movements to Regulate Child Labor
There were people in this time period that strongly advocated the use or the abolishment of child labor, or at least the improvement of c conditions. Factory owners supported their reasoning with ideas that it was good for everything from the economy to the building of the children's characters. Parents of the children who worked were almost forced to at least approve of it because they needed the income. The first step to improving conditions was in 1833 with the Factory Act passed by Parliament. This limited the amount of hours children of certain ages could work, children 9 to 13 years of age were only allowed to work 8 hours a day. Those who were 14 to 18 years of age could not work more than 12 hours a day and children under 9 were not allowed to work at all. By 1913 all but nine states had fixed 14 years as the minimum age for factory work. It was not until 1938, when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act, which introduced a maximum 44-hour seven-day workweek,established a national minimum wage, guaranteed "time-and-a-half" for overtime in certain jobs, and prohibited most employment of minors in "oppressive child labor".
Non-Agricultural Employment
Sixteen is the minimum age for nonagricultural employment but 14 and 15 year olds may be employed certain periods (it should not interfere with their schooling). Children under 14 years of age are generally too young for formal employment but there is exceptions such as babysitting on part-time, minor chores in a private home. Fair Labor Standards Act prohibits the employment of children under 18 years of age because it is particularly hazardous for their health or well-being.
Agricultural Employment
A child working on agriculture on a farm owned by his or her parent is exempted from Federal agricultural Child Labor provisions. Young Farmworkers who are not the children of the farmer employing them are subject to Federal Child labor provisions which differ by age. At the age of 16 years of age they are no longer subject to Federal agricultural child labor provisions. Children aged 14 or 15 may preform any nonhazardous farm jobs outside of school hours and with proper training. Children aged 12 or 13 may be employed outside of school hours in nonhazardous jobs , but only on the farm on which their parent works or with written consent of a parent. Lastly children aged 10 or 11 may be employed to harvest season crops outside of school hours under special waivers granted by the U.S Department Of Labor.