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An analysis of the occupations of free women in the antebellum USA

Author

Listed:
  • Barry R. Chiswick

    (George Washington University)

  • RaeAnn Halenda Robinson

    (George Washington University)

Abstract

This paper analyzes the occupational status and distribution of free women in the antebellum USA. It considers both their reported and unreported (imputed) occupations, using the 1/100 microdata files from the 1860 Census of Population, the only Census that asked free women’s occupations while slavery was legal. After developing and testing the model based on economic and demographic variables used to explain whether a free woman has an occupation, analyses are conducted comparing their occupational distribution to free men, along with analyses among women by marital status, nativity, and the prevalence of slavery. This paper highlights the importance of including unreported family workers in discussions of free female labor market contributions, as their inclusion dramatically shifts the overall female labor force participation rate, as well as their occupational distribution.

Suggested Citation

  • Barry R. Chiswick & RaeAnn Halenda Robinson, 2024. "An analysis of the occupations of free women in the antebellum USA," Cliometrica, Springer;Cliometric Society (Association Francaise de Cliométrie), vol. 18(2), pages 363-403, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:cliomt:v:18:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s11698-023-00268-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s11698-023-00268-x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Robert A. Margo, 2000. "Introduction to "Wages and Labor Markets in the United States, 1820-1860"," NBER Chapters, in: Wages and Labor Markets in the United States, 1820-1860, pages 1-5, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Robert A. Margo, 2000. "Wages and Labor Markets in the United States, 1820-1860," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number marg00-1, October.
    3. Chiswick, Barry R. & Robinson, RaeAnn Halenda, 2021. "Women at work in the United States since 1860: An analysis of unreported family workers," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    4. Folbre, Nancy & Wagman, Barnet, 1993. "Counting Housework: New Estimates of Real Product in the United States, 1800–1860," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 53(2), pages 275-288, June.
    5. Chiswick, Barry R. & Robinson, RaeAnn Halenda, 2021. "Women at Work in the United States Since 1860: An Analysis of Unreported Family Workers," GLO Discussion Paper Series 857, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    6. Kessler-Harris, Alice, 2003. "Out to Work: A History of Wage-Earning Women in the United States," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, edition 20, number 9780195157093, Decembrie.
    7. Mosca, Irene & Wright, Robert E., 2021. "Economics of Marriage Bars," GLO Discussion Paper Series 933, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    8. Chiswick, Carmel U, 1983. "Analysis of Earnings from Household Enterprises: Methodology and Application to Thailand," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 65(4), pages 658-662, November.
    9. Wanamaker, Marianne H., 2014. "Fertility and the Price of Children: Evidence from Slavery and Slave Emancipation," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 74(4), pages 1045-1071, December.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Women; Labor force participation; Occupational distribution; Unreported family workers; Enslaved workers; Immigrants; 1860 Census of Population;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N31 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - U.S.; Canada: Pre-1913
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J82 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Standards - - - Labor Force Composition

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