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Gentlewomanly capitalism? Spinsters, widows, and wealth holding in England and Wales, c. 1800–1860
Author(s) -
Green David R.,
Owens Alastair
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
the economic history review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.014
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1468-0289
pISSN - 0013-0117
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-0289.2003.00260.x
Subject(s) - capitalism , ideology , investment (military) , middle class , government (linguistics) , state (computer science) , sociology , sample (material) , demographic economics , economics , gender studies , political science , market economy , law , politics , linguistics , philosophy , algorithm , computer science , chemistry , chromatography
This article examines the demographic and geographical importance of wealthy middle‐class women. It argues that in certain towns and cities, notably London, such women were of sufficient importance to merit attention in their own right. Drawing upon a sample of wills, it describes the types of wealth owned by these women. By examining women's investment in government securities, it argues that women's wealth was of crucial importance to the British state. Its findings challenge conventional understandings of the relationships between gender ideology, wealth holding, and economic development.