Intelligence Squared Who are the Hidden Women who Shaped our Economic History? With Victoria Bateman
Aug 21, 2025
Victoria Bateman, a feminist economist and author of "Economica," dives into the hidden roles women have played in shaping economic history. She discusses remarkable figures like Priscilla Wakefield and Julia Felix, highlighting their contributions to finance and commerce. The conversation explores the correlation between women's participation in the workforce and economic prosperity, from the market queens of West Africa to the Industrial Revolution. Bateman urges a re-examination of historical narratives to understand how women's involvement can guide our economic future.
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Women As Core Wealth Creators
- Women have been central creators of wealth throughout history, not passive beneficiaries of men's work.
- Adding women's roles into economic history fundamentally changes our understanding of past growth and decline.
Female Work Fueled Industrial Change
- Young women working and earning before marriage raised age-at-marriage and reduced family size, supporting higher wages and investment in skills.
- This demographic and social pattern helped create incentives to mechanise and sustain the Industrial Revolution in Britain.
Households Shape Markets And Politics
- Household structures shaped broader social behaviours: independent nuclear households encouraged trade, trust and market development.
- Women's economic independence therefore had knock-on effects on political institutions and democratic culture.
