ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book explores that a number of features of family organisation, alongside measures of human capital and agency in history. Future research could push this research agenda further by looking at regional or individual level data where available. It attempts to make a novel contribution to the literature, in the links between family systems and a variety of development outcomes, particularly in terms of gender equality and economic development. The book explores the topic of family organisation, female agency, and economic development in the past two centuries. It demonstrates the potential significance of the perspective developed for the explanation of long-term changes in the world economy. Female agency is not only an end in itself, it is also a means to achieve economic and societal development and reduce global inequality.
