Title Women at work in preindustrial France / Daryl M. Hafter

Published University Park, PA : Pennsylvania State University, ©2007

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Description 1 online resource (ix, 318 pages) : illustrations Contents The political economy of guilds -- The uses of gender in economic life -- Guildwomen and ouvrières -- Turgot's reforms and their aftermath -- Paths to the revolution Summary The subject of women as skilled workers in the eighteenth century is central to our understanding of the history of work and technology in the preindustrial age. While recent scholarship has dispelled the notion that women did not enter the workforce until the Industrial Revolution, debate continues as to the extent to which women actually participated in skilled work in the preceding decades. This book draws upon substantial archival research in Rouen, Lyon, and Paris to show that while the vast majority of working women in eighteenth-century France labored at unskilled, low-paying jobs, it was not at all unusual for women to be actively engaged in economic activities as workers, managers, and merchants. Some even developed vertically integrated wholesale and retail businesses, while others became indispensable to manufacturers through their technical skill. In fact, Hafter documents how certain women guild masters were able to exploit the legal system to achieve considerable economic independence, power, wealth, and legal parity with male masters. She also shows how gender politics complicated the day-to-day experience of these working women Notes The research focuses on Lyon, Paris, and Rouen Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index Notes Print version record Subject Women -- Employment -- France -- History -- 18th century Women in guilds -- France -- History -- 18th century Working class women -- France -- History -- 18th century Sex discrimination against women -- France -- History -- 18th century Discrimination in employment -- France -- History -- 18th century BUSINESS & ECONOMICS -- Labor. POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Labor & Industrial Relations. SOCIAL SCIENCE -- Feminism & Feminist Theory. Discrimination in employment Sex discrimination against women Women -- Employment Women in guilds Working class women France Genre/Form History Form Electronic book LC no. 2006034214 ISBN 9780271034799 0271034793

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