8 out of 10 worked in the countryside, engaging in subsistence farming and cottage industries, which rarely employed more than 50 people. These industries produced handmade items such as buttons, needles, cloth, and bricks. What does this information describe?
a) A shift towards urbanization
b) A decrease in cottage industries
c) The prevalence of small-scale, handmade production
d) A surge in factory-based manufacturing
