Work

The Incorporation of women into Basque Savings Banks (1845–2009): employment, financial access, and accounting visibility

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This paper examines the incorporation of women into the savings banks of the Basque Country between 1845 and 2009, drawing on primary sources such as founding regulations, board minutes, institutional reports, internal documentation, and oral sources. It analyses access conditions, the roles women performed, and the evolution of their labour rights, together with their position as clients and their visibility in accounting records. The study analyses pioneer cases, such as Balbina de Reizabal (1856), and explores the institutional resistance and legislative changes that shaped key milestones in this process. These developments are contextualised within the social, economic, and gender transformations in Spain, and the paper proposes future research avenues in financial and labour history from a gender perspective.

Source: De Computis - Revista Española de Historia de la Contabilidad

DOI: 10.26784/issn.1886-1881.23.1.13495

Author: Iker Arteagabeitia Perea

Institution: Universidad de Deusto

Language: English

Topic: Banking Systems and Strategies

Subfield: Finance

Field: Economics, Econometrics and Finance

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Gender equality, Decent work and economic growth

Open Access status: diamond

Funder: Banco de España