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This book examines women's financial activity from the early days of the stock market in eighteenth century England and the South Sea Bubble to the mid-twentieth century. The essays demonstrate how many women managed their own finances despite legal and social restrictions and show that women were neither helpless, incompetent and risk-averse, nor were they unduly cautious and conservative. Rather, many women learnt about money and made themselves effective and engaged managers of the funds at their disposal.
The essays focus on Britain, from eighteenth-century London, to the expansion of British financial markets of the nineteenth century, with comparative essays dealing with the US, Italy, Sweden and Japan. Hitherto, writing about women and money has been restricted to their management of household finances or their activities as small business women. This book examines the clear evidence of women's active engagement in financial matters, much neglected in historical literature, especially women's management of capital.
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About the author
Anne Laurence is Professor of History at the Open University and author of Women in England 1500-1760: A Social History. Josephine Maltby is Professor of Accounting and Finance, University of York. Janette Rutterford is Professor of Finance at The Open University and author of Introduction to Stock Exchange Investment.
Summary
This book charts the sheer extent of women's financial management and provides for economic, social, cultural, and gender historians material grounded in empirical research essential for understanding women's place in capitalist societies.
