Like father, like daughter? Intergenerational social mobility among business- and craftswomen in Sundsvall, Sweden, 1860–1893

Abstract

Using multiple sources, this study identifies women's intergenerational social mobility to a greater degree than most other studies on the topic. It examines the status of the fathers of women who ran a business or craft in a Swedish town that witnessed rapid urban–industrial transformations. Whereas only 15 per cent of the businesswomen and 12 per cent of the craftswomen were the daughters of business- or craftsmen, the businesswomen in particular had through their trade been able to improve their social status. The results suggest that these women benefited from the commercial opportunities of their time and not from having a father in business.