Explain why the Workhouse created housing for children rather than a family.
The Workhouse created separate housing for children rather than families for a few reasons:
1. Efficiency: By separating children from their families, the Workhouse could more efficiently manage resources and provide care for a larger number of individuals. It was easier to provide uniform care and supervision for a group of children in a communal setting rather than trying to accommodate the diverse needs of different family units.
2. Control: By isolating children from their families, the Workhouse could exert greater control over their upbringing and education. This allowed the institution to instill discipline, morality, and work habits in the children without interference from potentially neglectful or abusive parents.
3. Stigma: There was a prevailing belief at the time that poverty and destitution were the result of moral failings, and that children growing up in poor families were likely to end up in the same situation as their parents. By removing children from their families and providing them with housing and education in a controlled environment, the Workhouse aimed to break this cycle of poverty and prevent future generations from falling into the same trap.
Overall, the creation of separate housing for children in the Workhouse was a combination of practicality, control, and the prevailing attitudes towards poverty and welfare in the 19th century.