Women and Work through a Comparative Lens

Gender and the Urban Labor Markets of Premodern Brabant and Biscay

von Nena Vandeweerdt

250 Seiten, Taschenbuch

Kurzbeschreibung des Verlags

Urban Markets and Women's Labor: Navigating Institutional Boundaries in Premodern EuropeWomen played a crucial role in medieval and early modern urban economies, yet their labor opportunities varied greatly depending on local institutions. This book compares the guild-structured labor markets of Antwerp and Mechelen in Brabant with Bilbao's informal economy in Biscay during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. By analyzing these distinct institutional contexts, it offers a multifaceted understanding of women's economic roles in premodern Europe. Drawing on a wide range of legislative and judicial sources, Vandeweerdt demonstrates how legal frameworks, socioeconomic structures, and individual strategies shaped women's activities in small-scale trade. Bridging institutional analysis and personal agency, Women and Work through a Comparative Lens sheds new light on the interplay between labor organization and everyday practices in premodern Europe.

• Reihe: Leuven University Press
• ISBN: 9789462704947
• Sprache: Englisch
• Erscheinungsdatum: 01.12.2025
• Größe: 234 x 156 mm
• Verlag: Leuven University Press