Women in the world of business

In spite of the limitations of ideology, legislation and guild regulations, ever since the distant past, some women managed to work independently, while others played a vital role in family businesses and shops. The sectors to which women workers tended to gravitate were textiles, clothes-making and service. Widows played an important role, both in their own businesses and in family enterprises. Sometimes, the quality of their administration helped to improve the situation of the business or shop, and thus their role was more important than merely being an inter-generational bridge in the transmission of businesses from fathers to sons. In other cases, it was the money that women earned from working that ensured the upkeep of the family, as was customary in certain textile businesses in which husbands also worked. Women commonly worked in small and medium-sized family businesses, though their participation was also often significant in wealthy families.

Cycle: Lectures on the History of Women’s Work in Catalonia, 18th-20th century

Organized by: Residence for Researchers