Sociology Plus
Cottage Industry Definition
The cottage industry refers to a mode of production characteristic of preindustrial societies where manufacturing took place primarily within the domestic sphere. In these settings, the home served as the main location for producing goods required by the community. This type of industry is inherently small-scale and results in the manufacture of a limited range of products.
Evolution
While cottage industries largely disappeared with the advent of modern industrialisation, elements of this production structure persist in contemporary societies, often manifested through craft workers. Furthermore, the concept has evolved into related forms, such as ‘outworking’, which describes variations in how and where these domestic or small-scale manufacturing processes are organised today.