The Whole Economy: Work and Gender in Early Modern Europe

This book highlights the transformative potential of including women's work in wider assessments of continuity and change in economic performance, advocating a gender-inclusive approach to the history of work. It spans key arenas in which women produced change, refuting the contention that we can generalize about economic performance by focusing solely on the work of adult men.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 259 pages
Publication date: 15 June 2023
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

This groundbreaking book takes a gender-inclusive approach to the history of work, delving into the economic activities of both women and men. By employing innovative conceptual, methodological, and empirical perspectives, it underscores the transformative power of incorporating women's work into broader assessments of continuity and change in economic performance. The book specifically focuses on the period of European history (1500-1800), a time characterized by unprecedented growth in the northwest, which in turn was intricately linked to the global redistribution of resources and the foundations of industrialization. Spanning various arenas where women made significant contributions, including households, care, agriculture, rural manufacture, urban markets, migration, and war, the analysis challenges the prevailing notion in mainstream economic history that economic performance can be solely attributed to the work of adult men. Instead, it reveals that women were active agents in the early modern economy, actively shaping and responding to the changes that unfolded around them. Through a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach, this book offers a fresh perspective on the past, challenging our understanding of gender roles and economic opportunities in historical contexts. It is a valuable resource for scholars, researchers, and anyone interested in exploring the complex interplay between gender, work, and society throughout history.

ISBN-13: 9781009359368