Freelancing in the context of "Putting-out system"

The putting-out system, also known historically as the domestic system or workshop system, was a method of subcontracting production in which a central agent, often a merchant or manufacturer, distributed raw materials to workers who completed the work in their own homes or small workshops. This system was widely used in pre-industrial Europe and early America, particularly in the textile industry, shoemaking, lock-making, and the production of small firearm parts. It flourished from the late Middle Ages through the Industrial Revolution, gradually declining in the mid-19th century with the rise of centralized factory production.

Unlike modern concepts of freelancing, subcontracting, or remote work, which are associated with flexible labor markets, digital communication, and individual entrepreneurship, the putting-out system was embedded in the socio-economic structures of agrarian and early-industrial societies. For most workers, it was not a voluntary or entrepreneurial choice but a necessary means of supplementing family income. The system was particularly suited to pre-urban rural economies, where travel to centralized workplaces was impractical, and households combined production tasks with agricultural and domestic chores.