Female Artisans and Freedom of Trade in Southern Sweden, 1840-90

In Sweden, the number of single women increased during the 19th century. Legal changes partly aimed at giving women more ways to earn a living were enacted, which gradually opened up the artisan trades to female entrants. By using establishment censuses, this paper examines how the number of women engaged in the artisan trades changed in four towns in southern Sweden during the second half of the 19th century, after the legal changes took effect. The findings show that, while ownership increased in one town, the share of female ownership did not systematically increase, nor increase in proportion to the number of unmarried women across the four towns. This indicates that the laws did not have the intended effect, and that other barriers to entry existed. However, the number of female artisan employees did increase, which resulted in more women in the sector by the end of the period.