Historical Differences in Female-Owned Manufacturing Establishments: The United States, 1850-1880 / Ruveyda Gozen, Richard Hornbeck, Anders Humlum, Martin Rotemberg.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gozen, Ruveyda.

Contributor:

Hornbeck, Richard.

Humlum, Anders.

Rotemberg, Martin.

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w32575.

NBER working paper series no. w32575

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2024.

Summary:

We characterize female-owned manufacturing establishments using newly digitized manuscripts from the US Census of Manufactures (1850, 1860, 1870, 1880). Female-owned establishments were smaller than male-owned establishments and had lower capital-to-output ratios, which could reflect more-constrained financial access and other distortions. Female-owned establishments employed more women and paid women higher wages, creating a potential cycle between increased female business ownership and increased female labor market participation. Female-owned establishments concentrated in sub-industries like women's clothing and millinery, which is associated with some but not all of these differences. We also show how female owners differed from other women in the Population Census.

Notes:

June 2024.

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