Early Professional Women in Northern Europe, c. 1650-1850

This book focuses on early examples of women who may be said to have anticipated, in one way or another, modern professional and/or career-oriented women. In order to improve their positions or to find better business opportunities, the women discussed in this book invested in developing their qualifications and professional skills, took economic or other kinds of risks, or moved to other countries. The book is conceptually not so much focused on gender as it is on profession, business, career, qualifications, skills, and work. By applying such concepts to analyzing women’s endeavours, the book aims at challenging the conventional ideas about them.