Much of the literature published so far on gender relations in rural areas has either focused on comparisons of the position of men and women, or explored the position of women given prevailing structural forces and behavioural 'norms' that restrict the autonomy of women as human agents. This groundbreaking book broadens the debate by developing our understanding of how societal processes produce and sustain gender divisions, particularly in rural areas, highlighting aspects of rural women's lives previously invisible in the literature. Illustrated by case studies from France, Germany, Greece, Norway and Sweden, the book examines the critical issues of education and training, entrepreneurship, leadership, limited work and service opportunities, social mobility, and work experiences. In doing so, the contributors provide a fascinating comparative study of both national-regional and broader European realities.

No way but out: German women in Mecklenburg / Monika Blaschke -- To be matched or to move: Irish women's prospects in Munster / Deirdre Mageean -- Maids in motion: Swedish women in Dalsland / Margareta Matovic -- Land and loyalties: contours of Polish women's lives / Maria Anna Knothe -- Creating a community: German-American women in Chicago / Christiane Harzig -- Making sense and providing structure: Irish-American women in the parish neighborhood / Deirdre Mageean -- Embracing a middle-class life: Swedish-American women in Lake View / Margareta Matovic -- Recent arrivals: Polish immigrant women's response to the city / Maria Anna Knothe.

Fundamental societal changes in the globalising European countryside impact women's migration decisions. The chapters in this volume represent diverse attempts to explain women's movements from rural areas, taking prevailing labour market conditions as well as gender relations into account. Utilising empirical findings from countries including Austria, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Spain, this collection particularly aims to build bridges between research following the 'cultural turn' and functionalist explanations which refer to material and practiced ruralities. The international range of contributors to Women and Migration in Rural Europe focus on societal constructions of gender and rurality, and in doing so, address various female perspectives on rural life. The analysis of the different working and living conditions in different parts of rural Europe reveals distinct obstacles but also prospects for young women. Importantly, the book includes policy implications with respect to the challenges of demographic change, questions of gender equality and women's contribution to rural development.

The Routledge History of Women in Early Modern Europe is a comprehensive and ground-breaking survey of the lives of women in early-modern Europe between 1450 and 1750. Covering a period of dramatic political and cultural change, the book challenges the current contours and chronologies of European history by observing them through the lens of female experience. The collaborative research of this book covers four themes: the affective world; practical knowledge for life; politics and religion; arts, science and humanities. These themes are interwoven through the chapters, which encompass all areas of women’s lives: sexuality, emotions, health and wellbeing, educational attainment, litigation and the practical and leisured application of knowledge, skills and artistry from medicine to theology. The intellectual lives of women, through reading and writing, and their spirituality and engagement with the material world, are also explored. So too is the sheer energy of female work, including farming and manufacture, skilled craft and artwork, theatrical work and scientific enquiry. The Routledge History of Women in Early Modern Europe revises the chronological and ideological parameters of early-modern European history by opening the reader’s eyes to an exciting age of female productivity, social engagement and political activism across European and transatlantic boundaries. It is essential reading for students and researchers of early-modern history, the history of women and gender studies.

"Much of the literature published so far on gender relations in rural areas has either focused on comparisons of the position of men and women, or explored the position of women given prevailing structural forces and behavioural 'norms' that restrict the autonomy of women as human agents. This groundbreaking book broadens the debate by developing our understanding of how societal processes produce and sustain gender divisions, particularly in rural areas, highlighting aspects of rural women's lives previously invisible in the literature. Illustrated by case studies from France, Germany, Greece, Norway and Sweden, the book examines the critical issues of education and training, entrepreneurship, leadership, limited work and service opportunities, social mobility, and work experiences. In doing so, the contributors provide a fascinating comparative study of both national-regional and broader European realities."--Provided by publisher.

Considers the complications of race, religion, sexuality, and gender in Europeanizing from below

This is the first book to survey the experience of servants in rural Europe from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century. Live-in servants were a distinctive element of early modern society. They were typically young adults aged between 16 and 24 who lived and worked in other people's households before marriage. Servants tended to be employed for long periods, several months to years at a time, and were paid with food and lodging as well as cash wages. Both women and men worked as servants in large numbers. Unlike domestic servants in towns and wealthy households, rural servants typically worked on farms and were an important element of the agricultural workforce. Historians have viewed service as a distinct life-cycle stage between childhood and marriage. It brought both freedom and servility for young people. It allowed them to leave home and earn a living before marriage, whilst learning a range of agricultural and craft skills which reduced their dependence on their parents and increased their choice in marriage partners. Still, servants had limited rights: they were under the authority of their employer, with a similar legal status to children. In many countries the employment of servants was tightly controlled by law. Servants could demand their wages, and leave when the contract ended, but had to work long hours and had little say in their work tasks during employment. While some servants effectively became family members, trusted and cared for, others were abused physically and sexually by their employers. This collection features a range of methodologies, reflecting the variety of source materials and approaches available to historians of this topic in a range of European countries and time periods. Nonetheless, it demonstrates the strong common themes that emerge from studying servants and will be of particular interest to historians of work, gender, the family, agriculture, economic development, youth and social structure. JANE WHITTLE is Professor of Rural History at the University of Exeter. Contributors: CHRISTINE FERTIG, JEREMY HAYHOE, SARAH HOLLAND, THIJS LAMBRECHT, CHARMIAN MANSELL, HANNE ØSTHUS, RICHARD PAPING, CRISTINA PRYTZ, RAFFAELLA SARTI, CAROLINA UPPENBERG, LIES VERVAET, JANE WHITTLE

Since the early 1990s, new public and private actors, emphasizing issues such as landscape, nature, environment and food safety, have challenged EU rural development policies. This book looks at this innovative framework and, in particular, the impacts of the interactions between established interests and newcomers in local power relations. Specific attention has been given to the gendered nature of these processes. Case studies from throughout Western Europe analyze local rural power relations and present overviews of the significance of rural gender relations. The book demonstrates that traditional and new forms of social organization in rural areas create new forms of political participation. Changing forms of social capital and political participation not only influence the relation between state and civil society, but also male-female relationships. The book argues that the dynamics of these gendered power relations produce competing discourses, which can often hinder policy making and implementation.

New and original research which fills a gap in the market of migration studies Covers a broad range of topics Clearly and accessibly written

Housing in the European Countryside provides an overview of the housing pressures and policy challenges facing Europe, while highlighting critical differences. By drawing on contemporary research work of leading authors in the fields of housing studies, rural geography and planning, the book provides an introduction to housing issues across the European countryside for those who have hitherto been unexposed to such concerns, and who wish to gain some basic insight. This in-depth review of housing pressure in the European countryside reveals both the form, nature and variety of problems now being experienced in different parts of Europe, in addition to outlining policy solutions that are being provided by member states and other agencies in meeting the rural housing challenge at this time and in the years ahead.