Gender and Poverty in Nineteenth-Century Europe

New Approaches to European History #35

by Rachel G. Fuchs

In a major new history of the dramatic and enduring changes in the daily family lives of poor European women in the nineteenth century, Rachel Fuchs powerfully conveys the extraordinary difficulties facing women in this period. She offers a fascinating study of their experience of birth, sex and death, as well as the changing responsibilities of individual family members and the transformations in society's responses to the problems of poverty. This accessible synthesis will be essential reading for students of women's and gender studies, urban history and social and family history.

Genres: History

282 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[J.M. Hushour]

Not as excruciating as I was expecting. Fuchs (watch that pronunciation, folks!) has a decent, though cursory, approach to looking at the agency of women and men who were poor as shit in the feces- and V.D.-ridden hamlets of 19th century Europe. Nice bits on crime, prostitution, and V.D., as well as the shifting focus of the role of women during this time (the little ladies were quite assertive; you go, girl!). Geographically focuses on western Europe with some shifizzle on Russia. There is an excellent section on charity as well. Detrimentally, Fuchs doesn't discuss religion (except for charitable orgs) or politics at all, mostly the latter being on the Poor Laws in England and whatnot. Some illustrations, but none related to V.D.