This important collection of essays draws together exciting new historical research on gender in eighteenth-century England. The book examines the experiences of women and men in public and private life and challenges the generally accepted belief that the eighteenth century saw the establishment of sexually segregated separate spheres.

A new collection of essays which challenges many existing assumptions, particularly the conventional models of separate spheres and economic change. All the essays are specifically written for a student market, making detailed research accessible to a wide readership and the opening chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the subject describing the development of gender history as a whole and the study of eighteenth-century England. This is an exciting collection which is a major revision of the subject.