Time for Service
Abstrak
Abstract This chapter presents the age structure of service for women from depositional evidence. It captures not just the ‘snapshot’ ages of female servants at the time of their testimony, but also recalled and past experiences of service related by female witnesses. In doing so, the chapter draws out experiences of service from across the life cycle. Service could be carried out at any point in a woman's working life. By grounding this demographic evidence within individual life-stories, this chapter shows that service was not only a ‘life-cycle’ occupation for women between youth and marriage. It was undertaken by young and old between the ages of 7 and 60. Rather than reading service as empowering, or providing opportunity, I show that it could be a contingent and sometimes coercive form of labour. Their labour wasn’t as free or boundless in choice as the ‘girl power’ argument of north-west European modern economic growth supposes.
Penulis (1)
Charmian Mansell
Akses Cepat
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Cek di sumber asli →- Tahun Terbit
- 2024
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- en
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- DOI
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197267585.003.0005
- Akses
- Open Access ✓