A Bitter Living: Women, Markets, and Social Capital in Early Modern Germany

Abstract

"What role did women play in the pre-industrial European economy? Sheilagh Ogilvie tackles this question in an original way, using a rich body of new evidence. By examining women's contribution to a particular pre-industrial economy - the German state of Wurttemberg - Ogilvie casts doubt on most of the extensive literature about pre-industrial women's work. She also refutes the new theory of 'social capital' which claims that traditional networks like guilds and communities, with their shared norms and collective sanctions, benefited everyone. She shows how network insiders benefited at the expense of outsiders, especially women, and harmed the whole economy. The result was a 'bitter living' - not only for women, but for everyone."--BOOK JACKET.

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