The table describes the number of employees and factories in England and Wales from 1851 to 1901.

The data table depicts information about factory workers in England and Wales at ten-year intervals from 1851 to 1901.

Overall

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, what stands out from the chart is that there was a sharp drop in the total workforce over the period,

while

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the number of factories

initially

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rose substantially before experiencing a slight fall. A closer look at the figures reveals that in 1851, men made up the larger portion of the workforce, with 287,100 employed compared to 190,000 women, resulting in a combined total of 477,100 employees. Over the following decades, the numbers for both genders steadily declined. By 1901, the labour force had shrunk to just 61,000, with male and female employees being nearly equal at 31,000 and 30,000 respectively. Contrary to the downward trend in employment, the number of factories grew markedly during

this

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period, albeit with some fluctuations. Beginning at 225 in 1851, the number peaked at 721 in 1881, before falling to 600 by the end of the century.