Women without Men: Widows and Spinsters in Britain and France in the Eighteenth Century

Abstract

In times of economic stress, the numbers of perpetually celibate and widows who would not remarry rose, and the women involved clearly had to fend for themselves in increasingly difficult circumstances. The traditional sectors of female work—domestic service, textile industry, and service trades—were poorly remunerated and women had to find some means of cutting costs by clustering together, living with relatives, or seeking work which provided accommodation. The various means of survival are explored together with suggestions for poten tial source material for examining further the daily lot of women alone. In addi tion, the particular contribution of single women, in terms of service and philan thropic effort, is pursued.