GUARDANDO UN LEGADO, ACUNANDO UN FUTURO. VIUDAS EN LAS SOCIEDADES MERCANTILES EN EL CAMBIO DE SIGLO (1886-1919).

Abstract

Once upon a time, widows were most of the women in Spanish multiowner enterprises. When the male owner of the firm passed away, the widow was the first resource to use since the legislation granted half of all the wealth generated during the marriage. The rules of the Mercantile Registry, immune to the social norm that made women invisible, has allowed us to rescue the discreet memory of windows in front of companies. Using this source (Books of Firms: 1886-1919), the article provides a quantitative analysis about the widows; besides, the study claims that the widow’s role within the company could be typified. Like men, they could be active or passive investors. Some widows controlled the company; but in many cases, they served family interests, preserving the inheritance to bequeath their heirs.