Gender equality in the work organization of a company town: The case of San Leucio (late 18th–early 19th century)

San Leucio, an 18th-century company town near Naples, stands out for its pioneering approach to gender equality in work and society. Unlike contemporary models, it abolished male exclusivity in wills, dowries, and introduced survivor pensions for widows, while maintaining a male household headship role. Women, however, played pivotal roles as skilled managers of silk production both within the Real Fabbrica (textile mill) and domestically. This qualitative study, based on archives from the Royal Palace of Caserta, State Archives, and Diocesan Archives, reconstructs San Leucio's labor organization, revealing a unique model that blended formal gender equality with practical family-based work structures, challenging traditional male-breadwinner norms.

Cringoli, G., Pomella, A., & Broccoli, P. (2026). Gender equality in the work organization of a company town: The case of San Leucio (late 18th–early 19th century). Capital & Class. https://doi.org/10.1177/03098168261459853