Mistress or maid : The structure of women’s work in Sweden, 1550–1800

• Based on the verb-oriented method and a unique collection of observations from court records, this article shows that both men and women did almost all categories of work in early modern Sweden. On the level of concrete tasks, however, there was both difference and similarity between the genders. Marital status exerted a strong influence on women’s sustenance activities, creating a clear distinction between unmarried and ever-married. These patterns were probably the effect of a labour legislation that forced young people without independent means to offer their bodies and time to masters and mistresses.

Ämnesord

HUMANIORA  -- Historia och arkeologi -- Historia (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- History and Archaeology -- History (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

gender

work

marital status

verb-oriented method

Historia

History

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)