Labour market, gender and olive groves specialization: Mallorca at mid 17th century

Abstract

Recently, an intense historiographical debate has developed concerning female participation in rural labour markets and its impact on the gender wage gap before 1800. The underlying hypothesis is that increased participation of women in the labour market should lead to a reduction in the wage gap and a parallel improvement in their life conditions. However, research results to date are inconclusive. This article aims to address some of these issues, using the island of Mallorca during the seventeenth century as a case study. Female participation in the labour market was more intense there than in other Mediterranean and Atlantic regions. In addition, the seasonality of labour demand on the island provoked more instances of collusion than complementarity with regard to agrarian tasks, in contrast with what happened in Atlantic regions. Finally, we also explain why higher rates of female occupation did not necessarily imply a significant reduction of the gender wage gap.