The business of everyday life: Gender, practice and social politics in England, c.1600-1900

From 1600 to 1900 a growing consumerism fired the English economy, shaping the priorities of individuals, and determining the allocation of resources within families.

Everyday business might mean making a trip to the pawnbroker, giving a loan to a trusted friend of selling off a coat, all to make ends meet. Both women and men engaged in this daily budgeting, but women’s roles were especially important in achieving some level of comfort and avoiding penury. In some communities, the daily pra...