The Value of Women in the Register of Wool Workers in 19th Century Rome

Autore: Alessia Lirosi
In: Genesis. XXI / 2, 2022
doi:10.23744/4774
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Abstract

The Value of Women in the Register of Wool Workers in 19th Century Rome

The essay tries to assess the value of women’s work in Rome during the first decades of the 19th century, by focusing on female labourers involved in wool manufacturing. This goal will be achieved thanks to the analysis of a specific document, the Registro De Lavoranti di Roma, which will be compared to other sources. Though only preliminary and partial results will be presented, the paper will make a quantification of the employees, their tasks, age, and personal status. And it will attempt to answer the following questions. What was the role attributed to these women’s work in Roman social and institutional context? What duties were they allowed to accomplish and what workspace were they permitted to enter? And how did their job affect their family status as well as domestic economy?

keywords: women, worker, workspace, wool, manufacturing, rome, agency