Final answer:
Francis Cabot Lowell transformed the role of women in the United States by offering them a chance to earn a living through textile mills. He provided them with a respectable wage and improved their work conditions by shortening their hours.
Step-by-step explanation:
Francis Cabot Lowell began to transform the role of women in the United States by offering them a chance to earn a living. He did this by establishing the first textile mills in the country and recruiting young, unmarried women from rural areas to work in them. These women, known as Lowell Mill Girls, were provided with a regular wage and the opportunity to live and work in a boarding house environment.
Although Lowell did not raise women's pay in the textile industry, he did offer them a respectable wage for their work. Their pay was based on a piecework system, where their wages were determined by the amount of cloth they produced. This allowed the Lowell Mill Girls to earn more than they would have in traditional domestic or agricultural labor.
In terms of work conditions, Lowell aimed to improve women's conditions by shortening their hours. While the average workday in other industries at the time was around 14-16 hours, Lowell implemented a 12-hour workday, providing the women with more time for rest and leisure.
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