How women increasingly became economic agents in early modern Europe is the focus of this stimulating book, which highlights how female agency was crucial for understanding the development of the Western European economy and sheds light on economic development today.Jan Luiten van Zanden, Tine De Moor and Sarah Carmichael argue that over centuries a "European Marriage Pattern" developed, characterized by high numbers of singles among men and
women, high marriage ages among men and women, and neolocality, where the couple forms a new nuclear household and did not co-reside with the parents of either bride or groom. This was due to the
influence of the Catholic Church's teachings of marriage based on consensus, the rise of labor markets, and institutions concerning property transfers between generations that enhanced wage labor by women. Over time an unprecedented demographic regime was created and embedded in a highly commercial environment in which households interacted frequently with labor, capital and commodity markets. This was one of the main causes of the gradual move away from a Malthusian state towards an economy
able to generate long-term economic growth.The authors explore how the pattern was influenced by and influenced female human capital formation, access to the capital market, and participation
in the labor market. They use numerous measures of economic activity, including the unique "Girlpower-Index" that measures the average age at first marriage of women minus the spousal age gap, with higher absolute age at marriage and lower spousal age gap both indicating greater female agency and autonomy. The book also examines how this measure can increase understanding of contemporary dynamics of women and the economy. The authors thus shed light on the degree to which
women are allowed to play an influential role in and on the economy and society, which varies greatly from one society to another.
How women increasingly became economic agents in early modern Europe is the focus of this stimulating book, which highlights how female agency was crucial for understanding the development of the Western European economy and sheds light on economic development today.Jan Luiten van Zanden, Tine De Moor and Sarah Carmichael argue that over centuries a "European Marriage Pattern" developed, characterized by high numbers of singles among men and
women, high marriage ages among men and women, and neolocality, where the couple forms a new nuclear household and did not co-reside with the parents of either bride or groom. This was due to the
influence of the Catholic Church's teachings of marriage based on consensus, the rise of labor markets, and institutions concerning property transfers between generations that enhanced wage labor by women. Over time an unprecedented demographic regime was created and embedded in a highly commercial environment in which households interacted frequently with labor, capital and commodity markets. This was one of the main causes of the gradual move away from a Malthusian state towards an economy
able to generate long-term economic growth.The authors explore how the pattern was influenced by and influenced female human capital formation, access to the capital market, and participation
in the labor market. They use numerous measures of economic activity, including the unique "Girlpower-Index" that measures the average age at first marriage of women minus the spousal age gap, with higher absolute age at marriage and lower spousal age gap both indicating greater female agency and autonomy. The book also examines how this measure can increase understanding of contemporary dynamics of women and the economy. The authors thus shed light on the degree to which
women are allowed to play an influential role in and on the economy and society, which varies greatly from one society to another.
List of Figures
List of Tables
Acknowledgments
1. The broader picture: the global determinants of female agency
and economic growth
2. The patterns behind change: origins and features of the European
Marriage Pattern
3. Effects on human capital formation
4. Effect on capital market development
5. The effect on the labour market: women's wages, human capital
formation and fertility
6. The 'dark side' of the EMP? Testing the nuclear hardship
hypothesis
7. The institutional effect: alternatives for family ties, the role
of trust and the emergence of the commercial household
8. Beguines: living single and safe
9. Conclusion: the EMP in Eurasian Perspective
References
Index
Jan Luiten van Zanden is professor of Global Economic History at
Utrecht University. His research interests focus on the
reconstruction and explanation of long-term trajectories in the
world economy with the goal of understanding the deep roots of
contemporary societal problems.
Tine De Moor is professor of Institutions for Collective Action in
historical perspective at Utrecht University. She is closely
engaged with translating insights from the study of collectively
managed institutions in the past to help organisations working in
the present.
Sarah Carmichael is an Assistant Professor in the economic and
social history group of Utrecht University. Her research focuses on
devising historical measures of gender inequality and exploring how
family organization impacts upon the position of women.
"Women matter! Capital Women is a strong and compelling book. It
will be of the upmost interest for all those who wish to understand
the ongoing debate about the historical role played by women in
economic growth, progress, and development in Western Europe."
--Claude Diebolt, CNRS Research Professor of Economics at the
University of Strasbourg
"Development economists have long argued that if free to act for
themselves and their families, women can contribute to growth and
development; indeed the need to empower women has become a staple
of development policy. Capital Women will help economic historians
get up to date in understanding how women's agency can be seen as
crucial to the development of Western Europe. Jan Luiten van
Zanden, Tine De Moor, and Sarah Carmichael use a wide range of
measures of economic activity, including their original
"Girlpower-Index", to measure female agency and autonomy and then
link these to the dynamics of development. Capital Women brings
"Girlpower" into the
economic historians' mainstream." --Jane Humphries, Centennial
Professor, London School of Economics and Emeritus Professor of
Economic History, Oxford University
"This book addresses from new angles the old debate on the origins,
the characteristics and the consequences of the European Marriage
Pattern. It makes a very substantial and timely contribution to our
knowledge of preindustrial societies - and it will surely inspire
research and solicit debate for years to come." --Guido Alfani,
Bocconi University
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