The Role of Women in Society: from Preindustrial to Modern Times

Abstract

The participation of women in agriculture and the role of women in society in the preindustrial period were remarkably different across ethnicities and strongly related to the type of agricultural technology adopted historically. The sexual division of labor was broadly associated to two technological regimes: shifting cultivation, where the majority of agricultural work was done by women, and plough cultivation, a system mostly dominated by men. In this article, we review the literature on the persistent effect of the impact of historical plough use on female labor force participation and fertility today. We also provide additional evidence showing that differences regarding the role of women across the two agricultural regimes were more general and persisted over time in other societal aspects, including the form of marital arrangements, the presence of polygamy and the freedom of movement enjoyed by women. (JEL codes: D03, J16, N30)