Gender, Work, and Family EconomiesWet Nurses in Rural Galicia, 1850-1900

  1. Isidro Dubert García 1
  2. Luísa María Muñoz Abeledo 1
  1. 1 Universidade de Santiago de Compostela
    info

    Universidade de Santiago de Compostela

    Santiago de Compostela, España

    ROR https://ror.org/030eybx10

Libro:
Congreso Internacional Contemporáneas: Políticas, trabajadoras y hacedoras de sociedad

Editorial: Fundación Juana de Vega

Año de publicación: 2022

Congreso: Congreso Internacional Contemporánea (1. 2022. Santiago de Compostela)

Tipo: Aportación congreso

Resumen

In this article we study the distinct formative stages of the labour market for external wet nurses employed by Galician foundling hospitals in the second half of the 19th century. We focus on changes in the nature of wet nurses’ work due to the benevolence laws (1822, 1836, 1849) that were driven by Spain’s liberal state. We also examine wet nurses’ sociodemographic profile and the geographic distribution of their labour markets. Finally, we explore the economic impact that Galician foundling hospitals had on rural districts, looking closely at the importance of external wet-nurse wages for family budgets.