Abstract

The proceedings of a congress held in Asti offer a starting point for a reflection on women and the business world. Credit, in the sense of respect and trust, turns out to be a crucial tool for women of different social backgrounds and different geographical areas, which allows them to fully participate in different forms of investment. After significant research on the role of women in handicraft production, this interpretation becomes crucial for shedding light on the business networks that women are able to create in the society in which they live. This all-female context is composed of wives, widows, and mothers who invest their capital, in most cases consisting of their dowry, in operations of greater or lesser risk: loans with or without pawning, stakes in companies, and so on. Through an extensive set of documents of various kinds, it is possible to reconstruct the varied and complex business world of women who, on their own or in partnerships, succeeded in starting up and increasing their capital.