Widows: Poverty, Power and Politics

The unlikely history of women's empowerment through widowhood

Historically seen as figures of pity and foreboding—poverty stricken receivers of charity, tragic figures dressed in black, and even sometimes sexually voracious predators or witches—widows have been subject to powerful stereotypes that have endured for centuries. But for many women, widowhood unfolded into a vastly more complex story. From being property of men and housekeepers—the owners of nothing—they found themselves suddenl...