Women of Early Yekaterinburg in Eighteenth-Century Household Census Records

This article analyzes data on women living in early Yekaterinburg as recorded in household censuses from 1728 and 1788. The study aims to determine the number, social composition, and employment characteristics of urban women during the eighteenth century. It employs methods of source criticism and quantitative analysis within the frameworks of social and gender history approaches. A comparative analysis of these two census records reveals that over a period of sixty years, the female population of the city tripled and by 1788 had become predominant over males. The dynamics of women's affiliation with various socioprofessional groups reflect the transformation of Yekaterinburg from an industrial mining center into a craft-based trading hub. Based on the 1788 census, family relationships are reconstructed along with diverse occupations and sources of income for women, ranging from domestic handcraft production to trade and wage labor. It is noted that the eighteenthcentury saw significant strides made by women towards overcoming traditional societal constraints. The conclusion underscores that by the late 1780s, women constituted an active and socially significant segment of the city's community, playing key roles in its economic life.

Women's History, Urban Population, Ural Region History, Yekaterinburg, Household Censuses, Gender History