“Women’s work: a historical perspective” - an inaugural lecture by Professor Jane Whittle

Professor Whittle is a historian of rural England in the late medieval and early modern period with particular interests in economic development, work, consumption  gender and popular protest.

This lecture compares women’s work in the modern economy such as pay, work patterns, hours of work, occupations and life-time earnings, with those in England’s pre-industrial past, finding some surprising similarities.

It explores how past and present interact: for instance, how modern assumptions have been imposed on historical studies of women’s work, and how gendered patterns of work have persisted despite the transformation of the economy over time, and offers some suggestions about what history can contribute to present-day debates about gender equality in the workplace.

The lecture will be followed by a drinks reception in the Senior Common Room, Amory Building, from 6.00pm – 7.30pm.

To book your place at this event, please RSVP by Wednesday 8 May to The College of Humanities Dean’s Office (humanities-deans-office@exeter.ac.uk).