Social life changed in London as industrialisation set in. Ties between family members loosened and the institution of marriage broke down. Women of the upper and middle classes in Britain had an easier life as they could employ domestic maids to do the entire house –work, but they were isolated. Women who worked for wages were more in control of their lives. Social reformers were worried about the declining family system and wanted to reconstruct it. The city life created a new spirit of individualism among the men and women. They wanted freedom from their rural social values. Women were at a disadvantage compared to the men. Women lost their industrial jobs and they were ridiculed in pubic places by the conservative people. It became an unwritten law that public places were for the men and the home was for the women. It was only in the late 1800s that women were allowed to enter the political arena and were granted some rights. By the twentieth century, the urban family was a small unit and became the focal point for goods and services. New industries in the city provided mass work, and soon the working people needed mass leisure on Sundays and other common holidays. As the need for recreation increased among the working class, cultural events, such as the opera, the theatre and classical music performances increased. Working classes also met in pubs to have a drink, exchange news. Many new types of large-scale entertainment for the common people came into existence. In the nineteenth century Libraries, art galleries and museums were built. Music halls and cinemas became popular among the lower classes. British industrial workers spent their holidays by the sea.