An occupation may become obsolete for a single reason, or for a combination of reasons. Reasons for occupations to become obsolete fall into a number of groups. ;Cultural or fashion change The services or products provided by the occupation were made unappealing by
cultural changes, including changes in prevalent
aesthetic preferences. For example
hoop skirt and
crinoline manufacturers were significant employers in the 1850s and 1860s but they declined significantly in later years as fashions changed. ;Child work Many forms of
child work are now considered unacceptable. Following the elimination of much
child labour, many more children could attend school. For instance,
climbing boys became unacceptable because of the danger to children involved in the job. ;Debunked The fundamental assumptions behind the occupation were proved wrong, as occurred with
superseded scientific theories (e.g.,
phrenologists). ;Economic change The occupation was made
inefficient by changes in the
market or other economic factors (e.g.,the reduction in domestic servants caused by increased wages and alternative employment opportunities). ;Environmental change Changing natural factors made the occupation less useful or impossible, often as a direct consequence of the activity itself (e.g. over-farming, over-exploitation,
deforestation). For example, the trading of ivory has become heavily restricted over recent decades, especially in the Western world, following the international
CITES agreement and local legislation, which has put
ivory carvers out of work. ;Legal, political and regulatory change The occupation was outlawed, or changes in
governance,
law or
politics caused its disappearance or decline. For example the Victorian-era law that made available more cadavers to medical schools, thus signalling the death-knell to
body snatchers. Another example of a political change causing
job obsolescence is the disappearance of the
workhouse as a way of dealing with the poor. ;Social change The occupation was displaced by transformations of
social roles or was made useless by other social changes. ;Technological, scientific and process efficiency change The occupation was displaced by
technological innovation, with more
effective or
efficient ways for the same need representing the central focus of the product or service delivered by the occupation. Historical examples are making lime in factories on a large scale rather than by lime-burners on a small scale and the continuous changes in occupations in the textile industry in the 19th century as a result of mechanization. In recent times, the
workplace impact of artificial intelligence has arisen as a concern for widespread job changes and/or decline. ==List of obsolete occupations==