2025/12/29 by Andrea Caracausi, Verónica Gallego Manzanares · 1 voice
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Arts and Humanities · #Historical Economic and Social Studies #Historical Studies on Spain #Renaissance and Early Modern Studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.1017/s0963926825100667
openalex publication_date 2025/12/29 · openalex created_date 2025/12/29 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Abstract This article employs a gendered analysis to explore work and workplaces in Naples during the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. Using a work-task approach with judicial sources, it offers a novel investigation into the economic activity of women in southern Italy. The results demonstrate that women played an active role in all sectors of the economy, beyond domestic and care work. Spatial analysis unveils an intricate labour system characterized by dynamic and flexible boundaries and thus challenges the conventional dichotomy between public and private spheres. The findings call into question traditional schemas by offering a more nuanced interpretation of the division of labour in early modern Mediterranean urban contexts.