Beatrice Moring

A rich and detailed picture, across Britain and many other European countries, of the nature of women's factory work, the problems which arose and how women factory inspectors understood and reacted to the problems. Based on extensive original archival research both in Britain and in many European countries, this book is a comparative study of the large numbers of women who were engaged in industrial work in the western world in the late nineteenth and the early twentieth century, that is at a time when the industrial revolution was established and the problems caused by industrial work had become part of political debate and social discourse worldwide. It analyses the scope of female factory work, what the conditions were in such work, and what the motivations were for women to enter such employment. It reveals the composition of the female workforce as to age and marital status. In addition, it considers the first generation of female industrial inspectors, outlining the background of these inspectors, assessing to what extent were they were capable of taking on the role of protectors of women in manual work, and discussing the actions and attitudes of the female inspectors as recorded in inspection reports, biographies and contemporary discourse. Overall, the book presents a rich, detailed, comparative picture of women's factory work, contributing much to the understanding of the history of gender and class.

A deeply researched and geographically wide-ranging study that reveals that widows were much more economically and socially active than is often thought. 2017 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title "A terrific piece of work". JANE HUMPHRIES, Professor of Economic History and Fellow of All Souls College, University of Oxford Widows are often viewed as being marginalised in society, struggling to make a living and in need of financial and other support. However, as this extensively researched and wide-ranging book reveals, widows did, in fact, engage very effectively in economic activity, often being in charge of families, households and commercial enterprises. The book outlines how extensive widowhood was; examines the provisions made for the support of widows, including in the form of marriage contracts, dowries andcharitable assistance; and provides numerous examples of widows being economically active, paying their way and involving themselves energetically in society - one notable example being Barbe-Nicole Clicquot, who established a very successful company producing La Veuve Clicquot champagne. Using statistical analysis and individual case studies, the book contrasts the situation in different parts of Europe, and between rural and urban areas, and shows how provision for widows both in law and in practice evolved over time. Overall, it contributes a great deal to women's history, helping to correct the image that women were victims of male society, and to family history, showing thatexceptions to the "ideal" nuclear family were very common. BEATRICE MORING is Associate Professor in the Department of Political and Economic Studies at the University of Helsinki. RICHARD WALL was a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of History at the University of Essex.

This collection of essays looks at the various ways in which women have coped financially in a male-dominated world. Chapters focus on Europe and Latin America, and cover the whole of the modern period.

This collection of essays looks at the various ways in which women have coped financially in a male-dominated world. Chapters focus on Europe and Latin America, and cover the whole of the modern period.