Migración y género en las familias artesanas de Barcelona, 1770-1817

Resumen

On the basis of the marriage contracts of individuals from the silk, metal and leather sectors, the article distinguishes the patterns of artisan migration by trade and gender, and clarifies some characteristics –geographical and socio-professional origin, age of the spouses, literacy or economic capacity– of the immigrants who came to form part of the Barcelona craft sectors in 1770-1817. Being sons of peasants, boys came to learn a trade, most of them from certain districts near the city. Girls immigrated to work or to marry with a large dowry, often from more distant regions than boys, and the money they brought and sometimes their artisan craft were indispensable in the marital economy. These qualified immigrants, some of modest social position and some rich, most of them literate –included some women– contributed to the accumulation of human capital that laid the foundation for the future industrialization of the city.