ABSTRACT
This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part examines men and women's relation to property, the evolution of the family enterprise and its connection with the demographic structure of households. It considers the concept of occupation as part of masculine identity which entailed new patterns of education and training. The part focuses on women's relationship to the economy at a time when both social expectations and property forms made it increasingly difficult for women to play a direct part in business and professional activity. It discusses the serious consequences of this pattern for those left without support and contrasts this with the ways in which men were able to grasp the expanding opportunities underwritten by women's capital and labour in both home and enterprise. Middle-class wealth was being created by selling a vast offering of both goods and services both at home and abroad.
