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To breastfeed another woman's child: wet-nursing in Stockholm, 1777–1937

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 April 2002

SUSANNA HEDENBORG
Affiliation:
Department of Economic History, University of Stockholm.

Abstract

The conflict between work and taking care of infants can be solved in many ways. Less than 100 years ago, one of the solutions was the wet-nursing system. This system came to an end at the beginning of the twentieth century. Previous research has connected the cessation to decreasing demand. Here it is argued that to understand the wet-nursing system and to explain its coming to an end, the labour market for women has to be considered. It is necessary to study the supply side of the system: to discover why women became wet-nurses.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2001 Cambridge University Press

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