Women’s economic roles went unrecognised since prehistory
Summary and headline written by AI from the source article. How we work
Victoria Bateman, a British historian of economic history, examined women’s central role in economic development from the Paleolithic era to modern China.
Bateman’s book, Economica. Comment les femmes ont enrichi le monde, details how women engaged in many trades whenever men allowed them to do so. She traced women’s economic importance through ancient cities, medieval empires, and modern nations. Bateman highlighted specific women who contributed significantly to economic growth, including Khadija, a wealthy merchant and the first wife of Muhammad.
She also described Xu Wenmei, whose work boosted silk farming in 11th-century China, and Omu Okwei, a Nigerian businesswoman crowned “queen of the market” in 1935. Bateman’s work suggests this pattern of female economic contribution has existed across all civilizations. The historian focused on identifying and quantifying women’s economic impact, creating a collection of portraits of largely unknown figures.
