Women’ s work

It would be difficult to turn to our archive to explore the subject of women’s work.

Among our papers there is certainly a predominance of men, the Jesuit order is in fact exclusively male. However, we have already talked in the past about the possibility of investigating the role of women in the Society of Jesus through our sources.

Today we see an even different aspect: women’s work.

Obviously there is no file or folder containing documentation on this subject, but references and information can be found in various sources.

From the inventories of goods, which remain for some communities, the names of a number of female professionals paid by the Jesuits for their work emerge: the shoemakers Adelaide De Luca and Angela Bartoli, Amalia Monti the embroiderer, the tailors Pigliucci Pio and Adelaide Pigliucci, who each receive a fee. There are also those who are suppliers to the community, such as Caterina Gianni, probably an inhabitant of Castel Gandolfo who supplied the community with 508 eggs in 1909.

Moreover, personal files can reveal surprises. At the time of entry into the novitiate, candidates presented certificates of qualifications and previous work.

That of the future Fr. Alberto Dalla is very interesting; it is signed by Irene Poggi, who attests that the young man kept the accounts of his workshop for seven years.

The document, dated 1903, is written on letterhead with the name of the professional and the street of the shop (shown in the photograph).

The seamstress uses a form she uses for receipts, which suggests a well established business, so much so that she uses her own letterhead. This is not an illiterate woman who needs someone to keep accounts but a seamstress who chooses to pay an accountant.

These documents could help researchers to shed light on female labour and female employers with male employees.

Maria Macchi