Between the Business and the Family: Women, Credit and Society in Barranquilla (Colombia), 1849-1900

This article examines the intersection of gender, economy and social structures in Barranquilla, Colombia (1849–1900), centering on women’s participation in family businesses and access to credit mechanisms. Drawing on archival records, commercial registries, notarial documents, and credit contracts, the study illustrates how women negotiated both formal and informal economic spaces within a predominantly patriarchal society. It argues that while institutional barriers limited women’s legal autonomy, female economic agency manifested through family networks, credit arrangements, and commercial collaboration, shaping both household survival strategies and local market dynamics. By situating Barranquilla’s emerging urban economy within broader 19th-century economic transformations —including the growth of trade corridors and credit markets— this research contributes to histories of gendered economic participation, family capitalism, and social mobility in Latin America. The findings challenge traditional narratives that marginalize women’s roles in historical market formation and suggest that informal credit practices acted as crucial levers for female economic influence, even under restrictive legal regimes. This study not only deepens our understanding of gendered economic histories in the Colombian Caribbean, but also offers comparative frameworks for scholars exploring the interrelations of gender, credit, and social networks in pre-industrial societies.