Women, Work & Sexual Politics in Eighteenth-century England

Download or read book Women, Work & Sexual Politics in Eighteenth-century England written by Bridget Hill and published by McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. This book was released on 1994 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this fundamental reassessment of women's experience of work in eighteenth-century England, Bridget Hill examines how and to what extent industrialization improved the overall position of women and the opportunities open to them. Focusing on the most important unit of production, the household, Dr Hill examines women's work, not only in "housework" but also in agriculture and manufacturing, and reveals what women lost as the household's independence as a unit of economic production was undermined. Considering the whole range of activities in which women were involved, the increasing sexual division of labour is charted and its implications highlighted. The final part of the book considers how the changing nature of women's work influenced courtship, marriage and relations between the sexes.