Women’s economic agency in early 19th century Turku, Finland: an archaeological and historical analysis

Due to the legislative limits in place during the early nineteenth century women in Finland were unable to operate businesses or hold merchant status. Nonetheless, in certain instances widows assumed responsibility for their deceased husbands’ workshops, retaining the autonomy to either remarry or remain widowed. Women, particularly widows, who oversaw town plots were relatively common, and they employed various strategies to earn their own living. This study aims to unravel the complexities of economic agency among middle-class women in the town of Turku, located in southwest Finland, through an examination of case studies involving four town plots and five women. The research employs an interdisciplinary approach, integrating historical written sources and material culture analysed through the methodologies of microarchaeology. The family backgrounds of the studied women varied, as did the strategies they employed to navigate early nineteenth century society.