Institute of Historical Research Lecture: Making a living in early modern Dublin: Women and work
On November the 20th, VOICES PI, Professor Jane Ohlmeyer delivered a lecture at the Institute of Historical research entitled: Making a living in early modern Dublin: women and work
https://www.history.ac.uk/news-events/events/making-living-early-modern-dublin-women-work
Drawing on a wide range of sources, including the 1641 Depositions and lists of Dublin freewomen, this talk looks at how non-elite women deployed their labour and made their livings in in early modern Dublin. It is argued that women were decision makers, providers, and protectors and often operated in partnership with men, usually their husbands, fathers, or sons. Guilds regulated some female labour, especially that relating to commerce, construction, food processing, textiles, leather and metal working, but the bulk of work undertaken by women – hospitality, domestic service, caring, nursing, midwifery, street selling, laundry, catering, cleaning, and brewing – remained unregulated and poorly renumerated. Recent emphasis on intersectionality and the importance of considering social status, marital status, religion, ethnicity, and geographical background have allowed for more nuanced understandings of how women contributed to the workforce in early modern Dublin.
