"Outwork," the practice of industries to employ laborers, frequently women and even children, work on products at home, remains an issue among factory workers today. Outwork is greatly affected by changing technology. At times, technology negatively affects the ability of workers to practice their craft at home; at other times it enhances it. Dr. Mohanty is studying the US textile industry and the ways in which new machines upset the weaving processes, the ways weavers worked, and the things weavers wove. She has collected data on a large group of two different kinds of weavers in Rhode Island: men engaged in the traditional practice of the craft and women engaged in outwork brought into existence by changes in spinning technology. By comparing these two groups, Dr. Mohanty is providing new insights into the complex ways in which mechanization alters labor patterns. Her study also links how specific changes in loom technology causes shifts in the different types of fabrics hand weavers use in order to profit in the marketplace. She finds that, contrary to popular impression, the first phases of mechanization actually increased opportunities for outworkers who reacted differently to technical change than did traditional craft weavers. This study promises significant contributions to our understanding of the interaction of technology and the way we work during periods of rapid technological advance.
