Heavy burdens on small shoulders
Subtitle: the labour of pioneer children on the Canadian Prairies
By: Sandra Rollings-Magnusson
Publisher: University of Alberta Press
Published: 2009
Place of publication: Edmonton
Language: eng
Number of pages: 177
ISBN-13: 9780888645098
Description: "The phrase "child labour" carries negative undertones in today's society. However, only a century ago on the Canadian Prairies, youngsters laboured alongside their parents - working the land, cleaning stovepipes, and chopping wood. By shouldering their share of the chores, these children learned the domestic and manual labour skills needed for life on a Prairie family farm. Rollings-Magnusson uses historic research, photographs, and personal anecdotes to describe the kinds of work performed by children and how each task fit into the family economy. This book is a vital contribution to Western Canadian History as well as family and gender studies."--Pub. desc.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.