Women’s paid labour in the preindustrial economy: the tasks, wages and earnings of female day labourers in rural England, c.1480-1680
This paper presents new data on women’s and men’s wages in rural England from a previously neglected period. It discusses the methodology of collecting and analysing wage data, and what early modern accounts reveal about the setting of wage levels and the gender wage gap. Almost 20,000 instances of labour paid by the day were collected from twelve year-long samples of household and farm accounts dating from 1482-1674. Of these, 30% relate to women’s work. It was not unusual for women to be paid the same as men for particular tasks. Nonetheless women’s earnings were lower than men’s because women’s work was highly seasonal and women were excluded from the highest paid tasks.
Date: 8 November 2022, 17:00 (Tuesday, 5th week, Michaelmas 2022)
Venue: St Hilda's College, Cowley Place OX4 1DY
Venue Details: Vernon Harcourt Room
Speaker: Jane Whittle (University of Exeter)
Organising department: Department of Economics
Part of: Economic and Social History Seminar
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Members of the University only
Editors: Melis Clark, Emma Heritage