La “Doña” è Mobile: the Role of Women in Social Mobility in a Pre-modern Economy

We use data from marriage records in Murcia, Spain, in the 18th century to study the role of women in social mobility in the pre-modern era. Our measure of socioeconomic standing is identification as a don or doña, an honorific denoting high, though not neccesarily, noble status. We show that this measure, which is acquired over the lifecycle, shows gendered transmission patters. In particular, same-sex transmission is stronger than opposite-sex, for both sons and daughters. The relative transmission from fathers versus mothers varies over the lifecycle, and grandparents may have an effect on the status of their grandchildren