This book addresses issues that remain under-researched by feminist historians. They pertain to female economic contribution in specific geographical areas and countries such as Greece, Italy, a number of regions of France, Greek-speaking regions in the Ottoman-ruled Macedonia, and two countries in the Balkans: Romania and Bulgaria. Additionally, it compares and contrasts female economic agency in the above regions which is a field that hitherto lacks thorough study. Polly Thanailaki explores female contribution to the finances of their family and to the economy of their country and how they interlaced in a transnational historical setting, further exploring social norms and trading practices in these regions. The methodology is based on the study of original printed sources such as archives, newspapers, and journals of the period, along with secondary sources of literature. The book addresses the nexus of gender, economy, and society covering a broad spectrum of gender studies, economic history and social history in time and in geographic space.

This book provides an overview of women's opportunities for schooling, their social activities, and the social biases they faced in rural communities in Greece, Italy and parts of the Balkans during the 19th and early 20th century. It examines such topics as female illiteracy, the efforts of women-protestant missionaries to expand knowledge through Protestantism, the prejudice against education for women, the socio-economic context, the roles women fulfilled, and the structure of the patriarchal family. The book approaches these issues from the perspective of pedagogy and social history. The fundamental questions discussed by the book are: How was female education viewed by the country folk? What was the role of women in the private and the public sphere? How did peasant women respond to the challenges of the 'modern' world? Were they free to express their feelings and ambitions? In what way? Were they happy?

This book addresses issues that remain under-researched by feminist historians. They pertain to female economic contribution in specific geographical areas and countries such as Greece, Italy, a number of regions of France, Greek-speaking regions in the Ottoman-ruled Macedonia, and two countries in the Balkans: Romania and Bulgaria. Additionally, it compares and contrasts female economic agency in the above regions which is a field that hitherto lacks thorough study. Polly Thanailaki explores female contribution to the finances of their family and to the economy of their country and how they interlaced in a transnational historical setting, further exploring social norms and trading practices in these regions. The methodology is based on the study of original printed sources such as archives, newspapers, and journals of the period, along with secondary sources of literature. The book addresses the nexus of gender, economy, and society covering a broad spectrum of gender studies, economic history and social history in time and in geographic space.

This book provides an overview of women's opportunities for schooling, their social activities, and the social biases they faced in rural communities in Greece, Italy and parts of the Balkans during the 19th and early 20th century. It examines such topics as female illiteracy, the efforts of women-protestant missionaries to expand knowledge through Protestantism, the prejudice against education for women, the socio-economic context, the roles women fulfilled, and the structure of the patriarchal family. The book approaches these issues from the perspective of pedagogy and social history. The fundamental questions discussed by the book are: How was female education viewed by the country folk? What was the role of women in the private and the public sphere? How did peasant women respond to the challenges of the 'modern' world? Were they free to express their feelings and ambitions? In what way? Were they happy?