Familia, mercado de trabajo y salarios femeninos en una economía insular: Menorca (1924)

Abstract

[eng] The segmentation of the labour market in an island economy of an industrial nature (Menorca) is studied, using the census enumerators' books from 1924 for the island's two main towns (Mahón and Ciudadela) as a basis. In total they represent 70% of the island's population and are notable - albeit with differing percentages - for the high proportion of active workers devoted to the footwear subsector which they contain. This, coupled with other specific demographic features, makes this case study singular. In addition, the results allow for comparisons with other geographical regions of Spain and Europe that have been studied from the gender perspective: fundamentally, regarding the participation of women in the formal labour market, the more feminised professions, the socio-demographic profile of working women, the salary gap and estimates of the contribution of female salaries to household budgets. However, the remuneration that contributed to maintaining households economically must be viewed with caution due to the official nature of the source. The results of the demographic variables and different types of families, meanwhile, are easier to compare.