Why did the factories hire only women and children

Children were small and there were many, so they could get under/ in between machines to clean/fix them, also since most were orphans, they didn’t have anything else to do, and then f one become trapped/mutilated/injured, they could be easily replaced.

Women also worked as to help pay for the living of their families, and some families even worked in the same factories in order to do so, also, since men were employed elsewhere, women could step in, and depending on the type, women were most likely to out-perform men in output, quality, and speed.