Victorian England had second-largest employment category after agriculture. Maid meant unmarried woman or virgin in Middle English. Victorian maids worked long hours, earning £6-9 yearly. Many maids suffered from "housemaid's knee" from kneeling
Journeyman originated in medieval trade guilds, meaning "whole day" in French. Guilds recognized three ranks: apprentices, journeymen, and masters. Journeymen could become masters but most continued as employees. Journeymen were paid daily and could charge fees for each day's work
Industrialisation transforms agrarian societies into industrial ones through economic reorganization. First Industrial Revolution occurred in mid-18th-early 19th century in Britain. Second Industrial Revolution followed steam engine and electricity development. East Asia became most recently industrialised region by end of 20th century
Manual labour is physical work done by humans, contrasting with machine and animal labour. Manual labour and animal labour have been primary for most human history. Mechanisation and automation significantly expanded in 18th-19th centuries
Alienation describes separation of people from work, world, nature and self. Capitalist society divides labor into mechanistic parts of social classes. Workers lose control over their lives and destiny in capitalist society
Working class refers to employees compensated with wage or salary-based contracts. Common US definitions limit membership to blue-collar and pink-collar workers. Socialists define working class as all workers with only their labor. Working class occupations include unskilled laborers, artisans, outworkers, and factory workers