The gender distribution of immovable property ownership in late medieval Brussels (1356-1460)

Although ownership of real property was crucial to the economic opportunities of medieval urban women, few studies systematically investigate the gender distribution of medieval real property over time. Using censiers, rarely used sources, this article approaches this question through a socio-geographical analysis of Brussels. The study finds that, despite the region’s egalitarian inheritance laws, female ownership of real property was relatively limited, and it declined during the late middle ages. This decrease accelerated during economic crises, and especially affected the property of non-elite women. Further research on the changing economic opportunities of medieval women would benefit from a more explicit discussion of non-labor income sources and social status.status: publishe