Work Roles and Family Structure in Proto-Industrial Zurich

Bibliographic Data

ID3354988
AuthorsUlrich Pfister (0000-0001-7489-7509, corresponding author)
Year1989
Volume20
Issue1
Pages83
Publication date1989-01-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Journal of Interdisciplinary History (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-1953 • E-ISSN: 1530-9169
PublisherJSTOR (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/204050
OpenAlexW2334492419
LanguageEN
Citations received14

though earlier studies have centered on explanations of family size and structure, more recent research has shifted to an analysis of the internal organization of and work roles within households. The work roles of women in particular have been the focus of numerous investigations. The respective positions of men and women have been found to differ more by status than by their productive contributions to household economies. Male authority derived from control over primary productive resources (such as land and cattle), whereas women were allotted productive tasks associated with the provision of food and the home economy in general. Their responsibilities included marketing of goods produced beyond their immediate subsistence needs, such as eggs and milk, as well as activities such as brewing, retail trade, and the production of textiles, all of which brought cash into households. Sexual work roles were flexible and adapted to the comparative advantages of each sex within the broad role patterns indicated above. Nevertheless, the small size of family economies, however, limited the division of labor and necessitated a continuous cooperative effort between spouses.1

Work (physics) · Engineering · Historical Economic and Social Studies · Mechanical Engineering

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