The participation of women in dock work in northern Spanish ports during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries reveals significant regional contrasts, particularly when compared to the absence of female labour in Mediterranean ports. Traditionally framed as a masculine occupation, cargo handling was occasionally opened to women under specific socio-demographic and institutional conditions. The analysis traces the evolution of women’s involvement, situating it within broader debates on supply-side limitations, such as reproductive responsibilities, and demand-side factors, including labour market needs and institutional transformations. The decline of Ancien Régime structures and the emergence of liberal capitalist port organisations created new labour opportunities that challenged existing gender norms. Female participation was most prominent in regions with limited male labour supply and few alternatives beyond domestic service, tobacco factories, or food industries. Mechanisation and male-dominated unionism later curtailed women’s roles. By uncovering these dynamics, the study contributes to the historiography of dock work and gendered labour market structures.
Ibarz et al. (Mon,) studied this question.