Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

The wages and employment of female day-labourers in English agriculture, 1740–1850

Burnette, Joyce LU (2004) In Economic History Review 57(4). p.664-690
Abstract
Using a new sample of farm accounts from 84 farms throughout England, this article provides measures of regional variation and changes over time in female wages and employment in agriculture. Female wages were not fixed, but changed over time and responded to high demand for female labour. The female-male wage ratio fell between 1750 and 1850, except in the industrial north west. In 1851 approximately 19 per cent of agricultural day-labourers were female. In the industrial north west, opportunities for factory employment reduced the supply of females to agriculture, but elsewhere the relative demand for female labour in agriculture declined.
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
women's work, agricultural labourers
in
Economic History Review
volume
57
issue
4
pages
27 pages
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:14644429686
ISSN
1468-0289
DOI
10.1111/j.1468-0289.2004.00292.x
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
9b38ce0a-b2e0-4918-ac0c-0b47f62a1b9b
date added to LUP
2017-09-21 15:37:48
date last changed
2022-03-24 21:11:39
@article{9b38ce0a-b2e0-4918-ac0c-0b47f62a1b9b,
  abstract     = {{Using a new sample of farm accounts from 84 farms throughout England, this article provides measures of regional variation and changes over time in female wages and employment in agriculture. Female wages were not fixed, but changed over time and responded to high demand for female labour. The female-male wage ratio fell between 1750 and 1850, except in the industrial north west. In 1851 approximately 19 per cent of agricultural day-labourers were female. In the industrial north west, opportunities for factory employment reduced the supply of females to agriculture, but elsewhere the relative demand for female labour in agriculture declined.}},
  author       = {{Burnette, Joyce}},
  issn         = {{1468-0289}},
  keywords     = {{women's work; agricultural labourers}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{664--690}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Economic History Review}},
  title        = {{The wages and employment of female day-labourers in English agriculture, 1740–1850}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0289.2004.00292.x}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/j.1468-0289.2004.00292.x}},
  volume       = {{57}},
  year         = {{2004}},
}