Breaking Social Confinement: An Analysis of Eighteenth-Century Women in the French Economy
Location
CSU 253/254
Start Date
22-4-2008 8:30 AM
End Date
22-4-2008 10:30 AM
Student's Major
History
Student's College
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Mentor's Name
Christopher Corley
Mentor's Department
History
Mentor's College
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Description
The study of single women in early modem Europe (1500-1800) has become a focus of scholarly examination during the past ten years. In order to make a contribution to the research, I examined 1795 census records from the Archives Departementals de la Cote d'Or in Dijon, France that I translated from French to English. The census I examined covered one section of the city and included 2,605 entries. With the records I created an Excel database that included specific information about Dijon's citizens that included their first and last name, age, occupation, the street they lived on, how long they lived in Dijon, and additional comments stating other children that were too young to be included in the census or the present state of affairs of the individual or family. Through analysis, my data reveals important characteristics specific to single women's living arrangements and labor. First, single women comprised an important part of Dijon's population. Second, they relied on female peers more frequently than men for survival. Female clustering, or two or more single women living in the same household, is seen repeatedly in these records and provides further detail into the ways in which single women survived without a husband or family. Finally, the occupations of single women compared to male and married women's occupations, met an economic need that was crucial for the development of Dijon's economy. Their manual labor provided the basic materials and services needed for the success of Dijon's leading industries.
Breaking Social Confinement: An Analysis of Eighteenth-Century Women in the French Economy
CSU 253/254
The study of single women in early modem Europe (1500-1800) has become a focus of scholarly examination during the past ten years. In order to make a contribution to the research, I examined 1795 census records from the Archives Departementals de la Cote d'Or in Dijon, France that I translated from French to English. The census I examined covered one section of the city and included 2,605 entries. With the records I created an Excel database that included specific information about Dijon's citizens that included their first and last name, age, occupation, the street they lived on, how long they lived in Dijon, and additional comments stating other children that were too young to be included in the census or the present state of affairs of the individual or family. Through analysis, my data reveals important characteristics specific to single women's living arrangements and labor. First, single women comprised an important part of Dijon's population. Second, they relied on female peers more frequently than men for survival. Female clustering, or two or more single women living in the same household, is seen repeatedly in these records and provides further detail into the ways in which single women survived without a husband or family. Finally, the occupations of single women compared to male and married women's occupations, met an economic need that was crucial for the development of Dijon's economy. Their manual labor provided the basic materials and services needed for the success of Dijon's leading industries.
Recommended Citation
Turok, Meghan B.. "Breaking Social Confinement: An Analysis of Eighteenth-Century Women in the French Economy." Undergraduate Research Symposium, Mankato, MN, April 22, 2008.
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/urs/2008/oral-session-11/6
