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Economica
The journey of humanity from poverty to prosperity is filled with men who have become household from Giovanni de Medici, Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller and Henry Ford to Warren Buffet, Mike Bloomberg, Lakshmi Mittal and Jack Ma. But how many female entrepreneurs, merchants and industrialists can you name? You would be forgiven for thinking that, until very recently, there were none at all. After all, even today, if we gathered in one room all those who have gone from rags to riches, it would be a room full to the brim with less than three per cent of the world's self-made billionaires are women.
But what about Phryne, the richest woman in Ancient Athens, who offered to pay to rebuild the walls of Thebes after the city was razed to the ground by Alexander the Great? Or the canny businesswoman Khadijah, better known as the first wife of Muhammad, who, after employing him to look after her troop of trading caravans, proposed to the prophet-to-be? Or Ching Shih, a sex-worker turned pirate who amassed a fleet of ships that controlled trade in the South China Sea?
And, just as importantly, what about the everyday women who, paid only a pittance, laboured for the profit of others - the silk 'draw girls' of seventeenth-century Lyon, the bare-breasted female coal miners of the British Industrial Revolution, the 'convict maids' who laid the foundations of modern-day Australia, the female market-traders of Senegal, and the women who have toiled in many a sweatshop or paddy-field in South and East Asia?
Women have never been 'missing' from economic life - they were simply hidden from view by those writing the history books. In A GLOBAL HISTORY OF WOMEN, WEALTH AND POWER, feminist historian Victoria Bateman rescues them from obscurity in a thrilling narrative that retells the economic history of the world from a female perspective.
But what about Phryne, the richest woman in Ancient Athens, who offered to pay to rebuild the walls of Thebes after the city was razed to the ground by Alexander the Great? Or the canny businesswoman Khadijah, better known as the first wife of Muhammad, who, after employing him to look after her troop of trading caravans, proposed to the prophet-to-be? Or Ching Shih, a sex-worker turned pirate who amassed a fleet of ships that controlled trade in the South China Sea?
And, just as importantly, what about the everyday women who, paid only a pittance, laboured for the profit of others - the silk 'draw girls' of seventeenth-century Lyon, the bare-breasted female coal miners of the British Industrial Revolution, the 'convict maids' who laid the foundations of modern-day Australia, the female market-traders of Senegal, and the women who have toiled in many a sweatshop or paddy-field in South and East Asia?
Women have never been 'missing' from economic life - they were simply hidden from view by those writing the history books. In A GLOBAL HISTORY OF WOMEN, WEALTH AND POWER, feminist historian Victoria Bateman rescues them from obscurity in a thrilling narrative that retells the economic history of the world from a female perspective.
563 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 28, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
October 24, 2025
This is an ambitious book that aims to both chronicle women’s economic contributions and give a comprehensive explanation for them, thus providing something for both the elusive ‘general reader’ who might not know women worked outside the home before the twentieth century and more knowledgeable readers. The thesis of the book is that civilizations flourish and recede with women’s freedom: in the latter parts of the book, there is a particular focus on what Bateman sees as the relatively equal West versus the East.
However, while interesting facts pepper the narrative and Bateman is respectful of the household as well as outside economy, the end product ended up falling short. I found the writing style, for one, to be both a slog to read and characterized by the overuse of em dashes. The conversational tone sometimes featured anachronistic moralizing (such as criticizing Augustus for not respecting women’s ability to make their own choices, an obsession with veiling as a sign of women’s oppression, and anger at the Greeks for having a male-only democracy). There was so much to cover that the arguments sometimes didn’t get as much elaboration as they should have. Much of the book studies women in isolation, making it difficult to measure women’s economic contributions in context. Most importantly, there are times where I feel Bateman’s thesis is just plain wrong. I will address two such cases– classical Athens and ancient Rome.
Like all complex societies, Athenian society had wealth disparity, but how much is the subject of debate. Much recent work, siding more with the modernist than primitivist view of the ancient economy, argues that Athens was actually quite economically equal by premodern standards; and while literary sources often claim they were poor, recent research shows Athens was financially well-off and prosperous. This reality, which Bateman largely ignores in the Greece section, does not line up with her thesis and presentation of an almost dystopian misogynist world. While Athens was indeed quite misogynistic even by ancient standards, Bateman’s picture is far too negative and reminiscent of long debunked views of the ‘Oriental seclusion’ of citizen wives. Her point also contradicts itself, claiming in one section that Herodotus’ lurid account of Lydian women was because women were invisible in the markets and streets of Athens, but later pointing out how poorer women had to work as vendors. Women were also able to work in medicine as midwives, despite the later Agnodice myth, and some medical recipes are attributed to women. It is also in this section that Bateman revives the hypothesis that Crete was a matriarchal “peaceful island paradise”, which many modern scholars feel has more in common with Arthur Evans’ fantasies than reality.
The ancient Rome section, meanwhile, dates the beginning of women’s decline to Augustus’ adultery legislation, despite the imperial period being considered a time of (internal) peace and prosperity. Bateman makes the bizarre claim this legislation came about as a result of the devaluation of working women, when it is clear from both ancient and modern accounts that it was aimed at the elite: Bateman also ignores debates on how effective this legislation was. The argument also overlooks how many of Bateman’s examples of empowered women come from the post-Augustan era, i.e the exact opposite legacy she’s attributing to the Augustan age. These examples, both positive and pessimistic, also frequently jump between centuries without sufficient analysis.
There are some more quibbles worth mentioning– the claim that Persian dominion was light would no doubt offend the Egyptians; Cleopatra’s reign with her brothers is cited as evidence of “more gender-equal Egyptian culture”, when it was in fact enabled by the practice of co-rule distinctive to the Macedonian Ptolemaic era; stating that Roman women were not citizens during the Republic, despite an entire lengthy 2024 book thoroughly debunking this; the old claim of witch trials being a reaction against powerful women will have early modern historians groaning; it is said that Spartan women did not have to cover their bodies, but evidence suggests they were expected to veil their heads upon marriage; and the curious statement that the Glorious Revolution led to the rise of merit instead of status.
Above all, however, was the troublesome equivalence of women working with freedom. This went hand in hand with the disturbing adulation towards female billionaires, CEOs current and hypothetical, and AI programmers– at one point, she even says that “women’s economic freedom was the real underlying cause” of the rise of capitalism, and seems to think this is a good thing. Many modern Western women work much harder than any of them but will only ever be the CEO of their apartment kitchen. The main reason, past and present, of why women work is because they are economically disadvantaged, and the fact that she can apply for more types of jobs does not make her any less so.
Overall, despite an interesting topic, I would advise giving this one a pass.
However, while interesting facts pepper the narrative and Bateman is respectful of the household as well as outside economy, the end product ended up falling short. I found the writing style, for one, to be both a slog to read and characterized by the overuse of em dashes. The conversational tone sometimes featured anachronistic moralizing (such as criticizing Augustus for not respecting women’s ability to make their own choices, an obsession with veiling as a sign of women’s oppression, and anger at the Greeks for having a male-only democracy). There was so much to cover that the arguments sometimes didn’t get as much elaboration as they should have. Much of the book studies women in isolation, making it difficult to measure women’s economic contributions in context. Most importantly, there are times where I feel Bateman’s thesis is just plain wrong. I will address two such cases– classical Athens and ancient Rome.
Like all complex societies, Athenian society had wealth disparity, but how much is the subject of debate. Much recent work, siding more with the modernist than primitivist view of the ancient economy, argues that Athens was actually quite economically equal by premodern standards; and while literary sources often claim they were poor, recent research shows Athens was financially well-off and prosperous. This reality, which Bateman largely ignores in the Greece section, does not line up with her thesis and presentation of an almost dystopian misogynist world. While Athens was indeed quite misogynistic even by ancient standards, Bateman’s picture is far too negative and reminiscent of long debunked views of the ‘Oriental seclusion’ of citizen wives. Her point also contradicts itself, claiming in one section that Herodotus’ lurid account of Lydian women was because women were invisible in the markets and streets of Athens, but later pointing out how poorer women had to work as vendors. Women were also able to work in medicine as midwives, despite the later Agnodice myth, and some medical recipes are attributed to women. It is also in this section that Bateman revives the hypothesis that Crete was a matriarchal “peaceful island paradise”, which many modern scholars feel has more in common with Arthur Evans’ fantasies than reality.
The ancient Rome section, meanwhile, dates the beginning of women’s decline to Augustus’ adultery legislation, despite the imperial period being considered a time of (internal) peace and prosperity. Bateman makes the bizarre claim this legislation came about as a result of the devaluation of working women, when it is clear from both ancient and modern accounts that it was aimed at the elite: Bateman also ignores debates on how effective this legislation was. The argument also overlooks how many of Bateman’s examples of empowered women come from the post-Augustan era, i.e the exact opposite legacy she’s attributing to the Augustan age. These examples, both positive and pessimistic, also frequently jump between centuries without sufficient analysis.
There are some more quibbles worth mentioning– the claim that Persian dominion was light would no doubt offend the Egyptians; Cleopatra’s reign with her brothers is cited as evidence of “more gender-equal Egyptian culture”, when it was in fact enabled by the practice of co-rule distinctive to the Macedonian Ptolemaic era; stating that Roman women were not citizens during the Republic, despite an entire lengthy 2024 book thoroughly debunking this; the old claim of witch trials being a reaction against powerful women will have early modern historians groaning; it is said that Spartan women did not have to cover their bodies, but evidence suggests they were expected to veil their heads upon marriage; and the curious statement that the Glorious Revolution led to the rise of merit instead of status.
Above all, however, was the troublesome equivalence of women working with freedom. This went hand in hand with the disturbing adulation towards female billionaires, CEOs current and hypothetical, and AI programmers– at one point, she even says that “women’s economic freedom was the real underlying cause” of the rise of capitalism, and seems to think this is a good thing. Many modern Western women work much harder than any of them but will only ever be the CEO of their apartment kitchen. The main reason, past and present, of why women work is because they are economically disadvantaged, and the fact that she can apply for more types of jobs does not make her any less so.
Overall, despite an interesting topic, I would advise giving this one a pass.
July 5, 2025
An interesting and enjoyable look at the history of world economics through the lens of women's participation in business. By necessity, the book does not go into any depth, but for the casual reader will be enough. It's well researched and written in an engaging tone - no dry academic writing here!
October 12, 2025
Well paced and I loved the tone, but I was looking for a much more sophisticated look at women and the economy, and this is more like a freshman survey world history course that remembered to include women in it.
I appreciate what the author was trying to do here and I do think there are some folks out there who might benefit from reading this (sad news: those people will not read this). It’s essentially a very long, very complete argument that economies fail when women aren’t allowed to or are restricted in their participation in the economy.
And…yes. But also…duh. I think perhaps a closer examination of a selection of the included topics would have better served both that general purpose as well as to further enlighten those who already understood the basics.
I am by NO means any kind of expert on the economy or the history of social economics, and there just wasn’t a lot here aside from anecdotal details that I didn’t already know. And again, the broader argument that all of this information is serving is not exactly earth shattering.
It’s just a lot of examples designed to be a completist account of women’s economic role in major societies throughout history, and more examination of fewer examples would have allowed for a more thoughtful and meaningful text.
The tone of this was exceptionally good and I have no doubt that the author is more than capable of delving into far greater nuance on any of the many eras and locations she touches on here. And while I think this would be a great read for an intro to World Civ class, for the more knowledgeable reader, it feels like a review session.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
I appreciate what the author was trying to do here and I do think there are some folks out there who might benefit from reading this (sad news: those people will not read this). It’s essentially a very long, very complete argument that economies fail when women aren’t allowed to or are restricted in their participation in the economy.
And…yes. But also…duh. I think perhaps a closer examination of a selection of the included topics would have better served both that general purpose as well as to further enlighten those who already understood the basics.
I am by NO means any kind of expert on the economy or the history of social economics, and there just wasn’t a lot here aside from anecdotal details that I didn’t already know. And again, the broader argument that all of this information is serving is not exactly earth shattering.
It’s just a lot of examples designed to be a completist account of women’s economic role in major societies throughout history, and more examination of fewer examples would have allowed for a more thoughtful and meaningful text.
The tone of this was exceptionally good and I have no doubt that the author is more than capable of delving into far greater nuance on any of the many eras and locations she touches on here. And while I think this would be a great read for an intro to World Civ class, for the more knowledgeable reader, it feels like a review session.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
March 3, 2026
I really enjoy books that look at world history in a different way, and this one does exactly that. Bateman tells the story of history through the role women played in shaping economies and societies—stories that are often left out of traditional history books.
I would put Economica next to Peter Frankopan’s The Silk Roads and The Earth Transformed as books everyone should read. Like those books, it helps you see history in a new way and better understand how our world was shaped.
I would put Economica next to Peter Frankopan’s The Silk Roads and The Earth Transformed as books everyone should read. Like those books, it helps you see history in a new way and better understand how our world was shaped.
March 31, 2026
Was interesting, not too economicsy. Liked that each chapter was a different theme, although did get confused with all the ancient country names
March 4, 2026
Good book that covers a very important topic, with mixed results on the execution. This is a great topic that most people are unfortunately ignorant about, so I'm glad it exists. It was a bit shallow and surface-level (the author decided to try and cover a LOT) in some places, and I'm not well-researched enough to know for sure but I think there were a few places where all of the facts may not be completely accurate. Parts were very well written, and others were a bit of a slog. I'm honestly not sure on how I want to rate this, but I'm giving bonus points because it’s a topic I support people learning more about (particularly in this day and age, *sigh*).
August 29, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
The economic influence of women over the centuries is something that generally gets wildly understated. Women are not noticed or appreciated for their contributions to the home economy or indeed the world economy in most cases, and this book makes note of that with a variety of case studies.
We follow what is essentially prehistory through to the modern era and see the contributions women have made to the economy, from early hunter-gatherer approaches to the first female billionaire.
There’s certainly something to be said for how much is canvassed in this book, but it does come at the detriment of how much information is provided on the events and people described. This book is definitely not as detailed as it could be, and it’s a shame, because I would have liked to learn more about the topics covered.
In addition, I feel like the writing style is good, but it could have gone a little more serious in places to fully cover the topics in the book. All in all, I found this one interesting, but very much a starter insight into the economic contribution of women.
The economic influence of women over the centuries is something that generally gets wildly understated. Women are not noticed or appreciated for their contributions to the home economy or indeed the world economy in most cases, and this book makes note of that with a variety of case studies.
We follow what is essentially prehistory through to the modern era and see the contributions women have made to the economy, from early hunter-gatherer approaches to the first female billionaire.
There’s certainly something to be said for how much is canvassed in this book, but it does come at the detriment of how much information is provided on the events and people described. This book is definitely not as detailed as it could be, and it’s a shame, because I would have liked to learn more about the topics covered.
In addition, I feel like the writing style is good, but it could have gone a little more serious in places to fully cover the topics in the book. All in all, I found this one interesting, but very much a starter insight into the economic contribution of women.
December 6, 2025
Decent history with surprising support for capitalism as opposed to soy democracy.
Could have done without the constant framing of men being "afraid" of women.
Could have done without the constant framing of men being "afraid" of women.
March 22, 2026
Moral of the story: if you want a successful economy, don't alienate half the population
April 3, 2026
Bumped this from a 4 down to a 3 after thinking about it for a bit.
There are 2 books inside Economica - one is wonderful and insightful and thought-provoking, and the other one is sprawling and hand-wavey and fails to clearly communicate what the point of it all is.
The first roughly 2/3rds of the book are a fascinating look at how women have been part of (and punished by) wealth and the economy, from pre-history up through modern times, and every other page was revelatory for me. Things like the idea that cooking food not only made our brains bigger, but also freed up women from breastfeeding sooner (cooked up mush can be fed to toothless babies much sooner than uncooked harder foods), allowing women to contribute to society more through agriculture and textiles. I'd never thought about that! How wonderful to feel so connected to women from thousands and thousands of years ago! And the book does a great job of covering (albeit broadly and therefore shallowly) a wide variety of cultures and ethnic groups across history - you learn about women in Mesopotamia and ancient Greece, and also ancient India and China, you learn about how colonial rule impacted women in America and Australia, but also the middle east and Africa, and how women from all walks of life have fought to take part in the global economy. You learn about women doing "women's work", weaving and childcare, but also women who have been rendered invisible over time but who were vital to traditional avenues of "men's work", like mining. So interesting! What a fascinating way to look at the broad history of the world!
And then...once the book gets past roughly World War II, things start falling apart.
It's still interesting! But once the economy really starts globalizing, once you hit the internet age especially, the thesis of the book is just impossible to keep hold of. There's just too much to talk about, and it's all too recent to be able to pull real conclusions out of the data. The book talks about the tech boom and all that, but doesn't (and doesn't have the time to) talk about how laws and discrimination within the tech industry impact women, in part because the tech boom only kicked off like 30 years ago, and we're only just now seeing the real long-term effects of the tech industry, and the book barely even acknowledged COVID (again, because there isn't time, and it's too recent). It's just impossible to carry the original thesis of the book into the modern day and still maintain a cohesive point.
My main, biggest issue with the more modern-times section of the book is that Bateman just completely hand-waves away some SERIOUS corruption and bullshit, or just completely ignores it, and it's honestly baffling. There are small issues, like uncritically citing women like Mary Kay Ash and Brownie Wise as businesswomen "just as capable as men" and crediting them with "astutely identify[ing] and tap[ping] into the growing market of female consumers". Yes, perhaps they are successful and DID do those things...but both women founded MLM companies, and I don't think we should let that go uncommented on. Brownie Wise is why "tupperware parties" (and now all the other type of parties for MLMs) exist as a predatory way of selling things to vulnerable women by using their own close social relationships against them. Mary Kay Ash followed that same model but turned it up to 11, and would take advantage of the women working for her, promising bonuses or prizes that never materialized. These women aren't feminist success stories, they created predatory businesses that have continued to destroy the lives and relationships of women (and men) to this day.
And the BIG hand-wavey thing was in the section of the book talking about modern day China, and how women have fared under the CCP. In an earlier section of the book, Bateman talks about the practice of foot binding, and how it was a way to control and hide women away, and it was heartbreaking and fascinating. But when talking about Communist China, Bateman seems almost...pro-Communist China? It's presented as if China under the CCP actually cared about and enforced gender equality, even quoting Mao saying "Women hold up half the sky". Bateman does mention how this equality wasn't real, and talks about how women were expected to tie their babies to the bed so the baby wouldn't roll off while the woman was at work. But the whole Great Leap Forward is covered in maybe 2 sentences, the book basically says "and then the Great Leap Forward happened, 15-20 million people died, yada yada, now China's economy is booming and it's a huge success story." We're going to quote Mao, but not talk about the the Great Leap Forward or the Cultural Revolution? At the start of the book you told me it was going to cover the "rise of modern-day China", but we're just not going to talk about any of the awful shit that got us from point A to point B? The book doesn't even talk about China's One Child policy, which seems completely insane to ignore in a book about how women have been historically held back from contributing to the economy in numerous ways...certainly it would be worth mentioning the government policy that has lead to 10-20% excess young men in China and a generation of missing women??? A policy that was in place as recently as 2015??? And was only fully removed in 2021?????
I'm being slightly unfair, because it IS a broad topic for a single book, and there just isn't time to go into detail about tons of stuff. The stuff about modern China stood out to me just because I have some very limited knowledge of modern Chinese culture, but I'm sure there are tons of other things that were left out or outright ignored to save space. It's a bit of a Coastline Paradox issue - the more accurately you describe something (a coastline, or in this case the concept of a book) the longer said thing gets. A shorter book is just going to have to be less accurate, because there's less space for nuance and detail.
But in that case...make the book more tightly focused. Only cover the time up through WWII! Why talk about the modern era at all! Or, if you do want to talk about the modern era, make that a separate book, and take deep dives into specific countries!
The book is written well, it's engaging and interesting and does seem well researched, especially when talking about periods with less information. I would still recommend it, and it was a valuable read! But the last 3rd of the book did not live up to the promise of the first 2/3rds, unfortunately.
There are 2 books inside Economica - one is wonderful and insightful and thought-provoking, and the other one is sprawling and hand-wavey and fails to clearly communicate what the point of it all is.
The first roughly 2/3rds of the book are a fascinating look at how women have been part of (and punished by) wealth and the economy, from pre-history up through modern times, and every other page was revelatory for me. Things like the idea that cooking food not only made our brains bigger, but also freed up women from breastfeeding sooner (cooked up mush can be fed to toothless babies much sooner than uncooked harder foods), allowing women to contribute to society more through agriculture and textiles. I'd never thought about that! How wonderful to feel so connected to women from thousands and thousands of years ago! And the book does a great job of covering (albeit broadly and therefore shallowly) a wide variety of cultures and ethnic groups across history - you learn about women in Mesopotamia and ancient Greece, and also ancient India and China, you learn about how colonial rule impacted women in America and Australia, but also the middle east and Africa, and how women from all walks of life have fought to take part in the global economy. You learn about women doing "women's work", weaving and childcare, but also women who have been rendered invisible over time but who were vital to traditional avenues of "men's work", like mining. So interesting! What a fascinating way to look at the broad history of the world!
And then...once the book gets past roughly World War II, things start falling apart.
It's still interesting! But once the economy really starts globalizing, once you hit the internet age especially, the thesis of the book is just impossible to keep hold of. There's just too much to talk about, and it's all too recent to be able to pull real conclusions out of the data. The book talks about the tech boom and all that, but doesn't (and doesn't have the time to) talk about how laws and discrimination within the tech industry impact women, in part because the tech boom only kicked off like 30 years ago, and we're only just now seeing the real long-term effects of the tech industry, and the book barely even acknowledged COVID (again, because there isn't time, and it's too recent). It's just impossible to carry the original thesis of the book into the modern day and still maintain a cohesive point.
My main, biggest issue with the more modern-times section of the book is that Bateman just completely hand-waves away some SERIOUS corruption and bullshit, or just completely ignores it, and it's honestly baffling. There are small issues, like uncritically citing women like Mary Kay Ash and Brownie Wise as businesswomen "just as capable as men" and crediting them with "astutely identify[ing] and tap[ping] into the growing market of female consumers". Yes, perhaps they are successful and DID do those things...but both women founded MLM companies, and I don't think we should let that go uncommented on. Brownie Wise is why "tupperware parties" (and now all the other type of parties for MLMs) exist as a predatory way of selling things to vulnerable women by using their own close social relationships against them. Mary Kay Ash followed that same model but turned it up to 11, and would take advantage of the women working for her, promising bonuses or prizes that never materialized. These women aren't feminist success stories, they created predatory businesses that have continued to destroy the lives and relationships of women (and men) to this day.
And the BIG hand-wavey thing was in the section of the book talking about modern day China, and how women have fared under the CCP. In an earlier section of the book, Bateman talks about the practice of foot binding, and how it was a way to control and hide women away, and it was heartbreaking and fascinating. But when talking about Communist China, Bateman seems almost...pro-Communist China? It's presented as if China under the CCP actually cared about and enforced gender equality, even quoting Mao saying "Women hold up half the sky". Bateman does mention how this equality wasn't real, and talks about how women were expected to tie their babies to the bed so the baby wouldn't roll off while the woman was at work. But the whole Great Leap Forward is covered in maybe 2 sentences, the book basically says "and then the Great Leap Forward happened, 15-20 million people died, yada yada, now China's economy is booming and it's a huge success story." We're going to quote Mao, but not talk about the the Great Leap Forward or the Cultural Revolution? At the start of the book you told me it was going to cover the "rise of modern-day China", but we're just not going to talk about any of the awful shit that got us from point A to point B? The book doesn't even talk about China's One Child policy, which seems completely insane to ignore in a book about how women have been historically held back from contributing to the economy in numerous ways...certainly it would be worth mentioning the government policy that has lead to 10-20% excess young men in China and a generation of missing women??? A policy that was in place as recently as 2015??? And was only fully removed in 2021?????
I'm being slightly unfair, because it IS a broad topic for a single book, and there just isn't time to go into detail about tons of stuff. The stuff about modern China stood out to me just because I have some very limited knowledge of modern Chinese culture, but I'm sure there are tons of other things that were left out or outright ignored to save space. It's a bit of a Coastline Paradox issue - the more accurately you describe something (a coastline, or in this case the concept of a book) the longer said thing gets. A shorter book is just going to have to be less accurate, because there's less space for nuance and detail.
But in that case...make the book more tightly focused. Only cover the time up through WWII! Why talk about the modern era at all! Or, if you do want to talk about the modern era, make that a separate book, and take deep dives into specific countries!
The book is written well, it's engaging and interesting and does seem well researched, especially when talking about periods with less information. I would still recommend it, and it was a valuable read! But the last 3rd of the book did not live up to the promise of the first 2/3rds, unfortunately.
July 14, 2025
Thanks so much to NetGalley for the free Kindle book. My opinions are my own and are freely given.
As a general rule, books about economics are dry and stupid and boring (although I am sure some people might disagree with me). I was convinced that it was impossible for an economist to write about the topic in even the most interesting way. Then I found this book.
I was immediately interested in the topic and requested the book, thinking more about the historical aspect than the economy one. It was amazing. I actually went to double-check that the author wasn't actually a historian.
I learned so much from this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for their next non-fiction book.
As a general rule, books about economics are dry and stupid and boring (although I am sure some people might disagree with me). I was convinced that it was impossible for an economist to write about the topic in even the most interesting way. Then I found this book.
I was immediately interested in the topic and requested the book, thinking more about the historical aspect than the economy one. It was amazing. I actually went to double-check that the author wasn't actually a historian.
I learned so much from this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for their next non-fiction book.
January 19, 2026
Economica: A Global History of Women, Wealth, and Power by Victoria Bateman is a rare achievement: rigorous economic history that is both intellectually serious and genuinely readable.
Bateman reframes global economic history by placing women at its centre, not as a marginal “social” footnote but as essential economic actors whose labour, autonomy, and legal status shaped prosperity itself. The book’s great strength lies in its refusal to treat women’s exclusion as incidental. Instead, Bateman demonstrates, with clarity and evidence, that constraints on women’s bodies, work, and choices are structural features of economic systems, not cultural quirks.
What makes Economica especially compelling is its global scope. Drawing on examples across time and geography, Bateman shows that when women have greater economic freedom, societies are more innovative, productive, and resilient. Conversely, repression of women consistently correlates with stagnation and inequality. This is not ideology; it is history, meticulously argued.
The writing is clear, confident, and accessible without ever being simplistic. Bateman balances data, narrative, and theory with precision, making this book valuable to economists, historians, feminists, and general readers alike.
Economica should be required reading for anyone interested in inequality, development, or the real foundations of wealth and power. It is unsettling in places, illuminating throughout, and impossible to forget once read.
Bateman reframes global economic history by placing women at its centre, not as a marginal “social” footnote but as essential economic actors whose labour, autonomy, and legal status shaped prosperity itself. The book’s great strength lies in its refusal to treat women’s exclusion as incidental. Instead, Bateman demonstrates, with clarity and evidence, that constraints on women’s bodies, work, and choices are structural features of economic systems, not cultural quirks.
What makes Economica especially compelling is its global scope. Drawing on examples across time and geography, Bateman shows that when women have greater economic freedom, societies are more innovative, productive, and resilient. Conversely, repression of women consistently correlates with stagnation and inequality. This is not ideology; it is history, meticulously argued.
The writing is clear, confident, and accessible without ever being simplistic. Bateman balances data, narrative, and theory with precision, making this book valuable to economists, historians, feminists, and general readers alike.
Economica should be required reading for anyone interested in inequality, development, or the real foundations of wealth and power. It is unsettling in places, illuminating throughout, and impossible to forget once read.
March 24, 2026
This ambitious endeavor to chronicle the participation of women in the global economy/ working outside of their homes reeked a bit too much of white feminism for me to trust the author’s analysis of certain sources and events. Within earlier chapters, mentions of women depicted in higher profile roles or worshipped as goddesses is taken to be synonymous with societies that respect women (and I’m not sure I entirely buy that claim?)
Bold assertions, like hypothesizing that the industrial revolution was able to take place in Great Britain because of female participation in the economy outside of the home just felt unsubstantiated, far-reaches and examples of “yay girlpwer!!1!1!” I think this could have been a more impactful read if the author had chosen to dig more in depth into a particular era/ region, with more case studies or primary sources to contextualize women’s roles in the workforce instead of this hodge podge of random cottage industries/ side quest jobs/ few biographies scattered throughout trying to paint this picture of an overall central thesis of uhhh…. *checks notes*…. “Let my girls have a job and a bank account”? Or rather, “women can also be slave owners, imperialists, and exploitative boss girls hahah #slay”
Bold assertions, like hypothesizing that the industrial revolution was able to take place in Great Britain because of female participation in the economy outside of the home just felt unsubstantiated, far-reaches and examples of “yay girlpwer!!1!1!” I think this could have been a more impactful read if the author had chosen to dig more in depth into a particular era/ region, with more case studies or primary sources to contextualize women’s roles in the workforce instead of this hodge podge of random cottage industries/ side quest jobs/ few biographies scattered throughout trying to paint this picture of an overall central thesis of uhhh…. *checks notes*…. “Let my girls have a job and a bank account”? Or rather, “women can also be slave owners, imperialists, and exploitative boss girls hahah #slay”
April 6, 2026
This was immense and at times felt like we were just getting crumbs of information - but! with that being said, this book has brought so many female leaders to my forefront and I am eager to read more about specific women from history!!
So dense, but so worth it (in my humble opinion as an economics major). I'm definitely buying my own copy of this book.
So dense, but so worth it (in my humble opinion as an economics major). I'm definitely buying my own copy of this book.
January 5, 2026
2026 and men are still the problem
May 18, 2025
I loved this book. An important book documenting economic history for women across the globe from the beginning of documented evidence. Written in an easy to read style, it is engaging, thought provoking and I learnt many things. Thank you to the author, please write more non-fiction! Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.
reluctant-dnf
March 19, 2026DNF on page 116
I am sorry I couldn't take the writing anymore.
Regarding Rome the author says n page 116 (of the hardcover):
Enslaving large portions of the empire and attempting to lock women out of the economy was never going to be a receipt for weathering the storms that history inevitable brings. For a century of two, the Roman economy managed to escape the consequences by pure luck."
Do I disagree that slavery and misogyny are a bad idea? No. But calling the longevity of one of the largest empire "luck" instead of focused system of government cheapens the idea for me a lot. I can't take this seriously - a lot of the economic conclusions are presented as fact without much analysis. I can see this working as a podcast or even a long-essay. But in a book I expect more work done than cherry picking facts.
The exclusion of women from ownership of economic wealth is a well documented fact. As is that the "informal" economy has always been underpinned by women's work (see modern care-giving trends for an example). So reading about that and seeing historical examples of the type of work women did historically kept me reading. But the tone of the book kept annoying me as it kept jumping from history to make conclusions like above that make no sense.
I wish she had kept to just talking about the history of women's role instead of trying to tie that to "economic success" (or even worse "cultural success" because I am allergic to saying that "successful" cultures have to prioritize wealth creation) in almost every second page. It undermines the analysis and makes it didactic.
However, since I did not finish this book because the trend changes and the wealth of information improves. I just wont know because the writing was annoying me quite a bit so I wasn't engaging with the book properly. I am all for an author clearly stating their hypothesis upfront - it can even be done well (see The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America for a book which used a similar methodology but was a lot more convincingly written). But I can't sit with the tone and random conclusions as they send me down a googling rabbit hole to verify.
I am sorry I couldn't take the writing anymore.
Regarding Rome the author says n page 116 (of the hardcover):
Enslaving large portions of the empire and attempting to lock women out of the economy was never going to be a receipt for weathering the storms that history inevitable brings. For a century of two, the Roman economy managed to escape the consequences by pure luck."
Do I disagree that slavery and misogyny are a bad idea? No. But calling the longevity of one of the largest empire "luck" instead of focused system of government cheapens the idea for me a lot. I can't take this seriously - a lot of the economic conclusions are presented as fact without much analysis. I can see this working as a podcast or even a long-essay. But in a book I expect more work done than cherry picking facts.
The exclusion of women from ownership of economic wealth is a well documented fact. As is that the "informal" economy has always been underpinned by women's work (see modern care-giving trends for an example). So reading about that and seeing historical examples of the type of work women did historically kept me reading. But the tone of the book kept annoying me as it kept jumping from history to make conclusions like above that make no sense.
I wish she had kept to just talking about the history of women's role instead of trying to tie that to "economic success" (or even worse "cultural success" because I am allergic to saying that "successful" cultures have to prioritize wealth creation) in almost every second page. It undermines the analysis and makes it didactic.
However, since I did not finish this book because the trend changes and the wealth of information improves. I just wont know because the writing was annoying me quite a bit so I wasn't engaging with the book properly. I am all for an author clearly stating their hypothesis upfront - it can even be done well (see The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America for a book which used a similar methodology but was a lot more convincingly written). But I can't sit with the tone and random conclusions as they send me down a googling rabbit hole to verify.
July 2, 2025
This is precisely the form of nonfiction book that works best for me. One, a subject I’m interested in; two, a pleasant, conversational tone; three, endless amounts of trivia, both old and new — I knew that the author of the first book was a Sumerian woman; I did not know that half the workers involved in building the pyramids were women! — and four, well researched with a giant bibliography.
However, I found this book … so depressing. Reading over the loss of rights women faced in ancient Athens, Rome and Egypt, and more modern Iran, I can’t help but look around at the world around me and see these same events happening now. The growing push to turn women from equal partners to “protected” and pregnant. To read about how long it took women just to get their own credit card, let alone the right to vote. Only 54 years ago a woman in the United States couldn’t have her own credit card. Even today women can’t make choices about their own reproductive choices without worrying about a future husband.
The world has come so far in accepting women as beings able to work for their own money, and we still have so far to go. I don’t think we’ll reach equality in my lifetime, let alone equity, but … this book does remind me that, though it may not happen in my lifetime, it will happen someday. The world is a better place, economically speaking, when both men and women (and nonbinary people) are all active in the work force, when parents have the resources to see to the health and education of their child and more — to have resources and energy to see to the advancements of arts and luxury.
If you’re interested in history, economics, and trivia in a well written book, you’ll enjoy this one. If you’re looking for more feminist writing, this checks off that box, too. This is another book that, having finished the ARC, I’m looking to get a physical copy of for my own shelf. I do honestly recommend it.
Thank you so very much to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC!
However, I found this book … so depressing. Reading over the loss of rights women faced in ancient Athens, Rome and Egypt, and more modern Iran, I can’t help but look around at the world around me and see these same events happening now. The growing push to turn women from equal partners to “protected” and pregnant. To read about how long it took women just to get their own credit card, let alone the right to vote. Only 54 years ago a woman in the United States couldn’t have her own credit card. Even today women can’t make choices about their own reproductive choices without worrying about a future husband.
The world has come so far in accepting women as beings able to work for their own money, and we still have so far to go. I don’t think we’ll reach equality in my lifetime, let alone equity, but … this book does remind me that, though it may not happen in my lifetime, it will happen someday. The world is a better place, economically speaking, when both men and women (and nonbinary people) are all active in the work force, when parents have the resources to see to the health and education of their child and more — to have resources and energy to see to the advancements of arts and luxury.
If you’re interested in history, economics, and trivia in a well written book, you’ll enjoy this one. If you’re looking for more feminist writing, this checks off that box, too. This is another book that, having finished the ARC, I’m looking to get a physical copy of for my own shelf. I do honestly recommend it.
Thank you so very much to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC!
November 11, 2025
This book covers thousands of years of economic history, so we only get a small taste of what was happening in the economic lives of women. Yes, it would have been great to learn more about the Indus Valley culture, or the true cultural impact of Roman women who maintained female slaves, but those detailed accounts are for other books. This was always going to be a frustrating read since it just can't do any particular time period justice.
I think the author did a good job of keeping this approachable.
I found this book incredibly depressing, since it shows that women lose as soon as they become independent and economically powerful. Every. Single. Time. Thousands of years, every region of the world. Women gain, and then they are forced back home. Sometimes it's brutal - enslavement or physical such as binding the feet of 50% of Chinese women. Sometimes it's cultural - disapproval of women who work or laws preventing women from holding certain jobs or married women from working.
I've always known that women have rights only because men allow us to have rights. Decades ago the Taliban showed me that I was right. For all of the author's praise for women's rights in China, we know that it's not all rainbows and unicorns for their women. Lax laws and even more lax enforcement against domestic violence. Same with stalking.
Still, it's good to know the history, because it can help us look for more creative ways to fight back. I would have loved a more in-depth exploration of how women's rights were successfully eroded because of the potential loss of children. Now that many women are not having children, are we more protected? I'll have to read a different book to find out.
I think the author did a good job of keeping this approachable.
I found this book incredibly depressing, since it shows that women lose as soon as they become independent and economically powerful. Every. Single. Time. Thousands of years, every region of the world. Women gain, and then they are forced back home. Sometimes it's brutal - enslavement or physical such as binding the feet of 50% of Chinese women. Sometimes it's cultural - disapproval of women who work or laws preventing women from holding certain jobs or married women from working.
I've always known that women have rights only because men allow us to have rights. Decades ago the Taliban showed me that I was right. For all of the author's praise for women's rights in China, we know that it's not all rainbows and unicorns for their women. Lax laws and even more lax enforcement against domestic violence. Same with stalking.
Still, it's good to know the history, because it can help us look for more creative ways to fight back. I would have loved a more in-depth exploration of how women's rights were successfully eroded because of the potential loss of children. Now that many women are not having children, are we more protected? I'll have to read a different book to find out.
December 9, 2025
The author makes a compelling case that the prosperity of societies depends on the freedom of their women to work.
One thing that stood out to me was women's (in)visibility & respectability politics; where a woman's virtue depended on being hidden/confined lest she be seen as "damaged goods."
What surprised me, however, was how much women themselves became enforcers of the system. For example, middle class women often framed the paid labour of poorer women as unfashionable & morally suspect, which insulated their own daughters from competition on the marriage market.
This gendered gatekeeping meant that women helped build a moral economy where virtue was measured by idleness and isolation, one that had visible consequences on the wider economy. It’s interesting to consider how seclusion functioned as a form of social currency.
The Middle East still suffers from this exclusion of women; until recently, China did as well. I'm still relatively baffled by this obsession with women's virginity, but a clear conclusion I've drawn from this book is that gender restrictions are never just cultural quirks, but economic constraints with civilisational consequences.
As a casual reader, I appreciated the book’s accessibility. It doesn’t get bogged down in dense theory, though that sometimes means the historical contributions of women feel like an afterthought to the grand narrative of civilisation.
One thing that stood out to me was women's (in)visibility & respectability politics; where a woman's virtue depended on being hidden/confined lest she be seen as "damaged goods."
What surprised me, however, was how much women themselves became enforcers of the system. For example, middle class women often framed the paid labour of poorer women as unfashionable & morally suspect, which insulated their own daughters from competition on the marriage market.
This gendered gatekeeping meant that women helped build a moral economy where virtue was measured by idleness and isolation, one that had visible consequences on the wider economy. It’s interesting to consider how seclusion functioned as a form of social currency.
The Middle East still suffers from this exclusion of women; until recently, China did as well. I'm still relatively baffled by this obsession with women's virginity, but a clear conclusion I've drawn from this book is that gender restrictions are never just cultural quirks, but economic constraints with civilisational consequences.
As a casual reader, I appreciated the book’s accessibility. It doesn’t get bogged down in dense theory, though that sometimes means the historical contributions of women feel like an afterthought to the grand narrative of civilisation.
January 22, 2026
Spanning more than 12,000 years, the book traces women’s economic activity from early agriculture and trade to industrial and modern economies across the world. Bateman highlights how women worked as farmers, merchants, artisans, financiers, and entrepreneurs, demonstrating that their labour and innovation were essential to wealth creation. Through global case studies, from ancient civilizations including the Greeks, the Romans, the Islamic World through the Middle Ages in Europe, China and the Englightenment into the modern era, she shows that women’s economic participation was often extensive, even when social norms or legal systems attempted to restrict it.
This is a feminist reinterpretation of economic history. Bateman challenges male-dominated narratives that focus narrowly on markets, states, and formal institutions, arguing that excluding women distorts our understanding of how economies develop. A key theme is the relationship between gender equality and prosperity: societies that allowed women greater autonomy tended to experience stronger economic growth, while periods of repression often coincided with stagnation.
This is a really good starting place to view the development of humanity and patriarchy though the lens of women’s contribution to regional and global evonomies and provides a good overview of the role women played in many known historical periods.
This is a feminist reinterpretation of economic history. Bateman challenges male-dominated narratives that focus narrowly on markets, states, and formal institutions, arguing that excluding women distorts our understanding of how economies develop. A key theme is the relationship between gender equality and prosperity: societies that allowed women greater autonomy tended to experience stronger economic growth, while periods of repression often coincided with stagnation.
This is a really good starting place to view the development of humanity and patriarchy though the lens of women’s contribution to regional and global evonomies and provides a good overview of the role women played in many known historical periods.
October 8, 2025
This book will have a special place on my shelf with Rosalind Miles' "Who Cooked the Last Supper" and Philippa Gregory's "Normal Women." Victoria Bateman explores centuries of women's contributions to human society, from the first "hunter-gatherer" societies to the employment and wage gaps of today. She takes a deep dive into societies in which women were equal, often sacred beings, illustrates how that equality was shattered, and explains how women have continued to support and shape societies and the success of those societies based on how women and their work are valued (or not in many cases). Women comprise at least half of the human population (probably a bit more, actually) and yet we have had to fight for the right to have the ability to work outside the home (while still doing 90% of the housework and childcare), the ability to go to school, (elementary and high school for some young girls, never mind college). Woman founded businesses are scrutinized and then celebrated when they fail. To this day, we still don't have agency over our own damn bodies. Books like "Economica" show just how valuable we women are, how intelligent and capable we are, and how very flawed society is. I very strongly recommend this book. It should be required reading in colleges.
August 15, 2025
Big thanks to the publisher for allowing me to read this before publication.
Economica: A Global History of Women, Wealth and Power is an ambitious, readable, and well-researched retelling of economic history with women at its centre. Spanning millennia and continents, Bateman restores the overlooked contributions of both famous and everyday women, from ancient traders to industrialists, arguing that economies flourish when women’s freedoms are secured.
The book’s global sweep is its strength, offering vivid case studies that challenge male-centred narratives. While its breadth means some topics get less depth, Bateman’s accessible style and clear feminist framing make it a compelling corrective to traditional histories.
It was engaging, vital, and wide ranging and a landmark account of women’s role in shaping the world economy.
Economica: A Global History of Women, Wealth and Power is an ambitious, readable, and well-researched retelling of economic history with women at its centre. Spanning millennia and continents, Bateman restores the overlooked contributions of both famous and everyday women, from ancient traders to industrialists, arguing that economies flourish when women’s freedoms are secured.
The book’s global sweep is its strength, offering vivid case studies that challenge male-centred narratives. While its breadth means some topics get less depth, Bateman’s accessible style and clear feminist framing make it a compelling corrective to traditional histories.
It was engaging, vital, and wide ranging and a landmark account of women’s role in shaping the world economy.
November 3, 2025
This is an ambitious and deeply researched book that reframes the history of global economics through the contributions of women. From early hunter-gatherer societies of the Stone Age to the present, Bateman highlights long-overlooked figures and offers a necessary feminist rewriting of economic history.
It is an informative and clearly academic read, a bit slow at times for those without an economics background, but still incredibly valuable. I especially appreciated how it introduced me to Dr. Victoria Bateman’s wider work as a feminist economist who challenges sexism in economics and beyond. Economica reflects her passion and her commitment to restoring women to their rightful place in the story of economic progress, which feels both overdue and inspiring.
Thanks to NetGalley and Basic Books for the opportunity to read this advanced reader's copy.
It is an informative and clearly academic read, a bit slow at times for those without an economics background, but still incredibly valuable. I especially appreciated how it introduced me to Dr. Victoria Bateman’s wider work as a feminist economist who challenges sexism in economics and beyond. Economica reflects her passion and her commitment to restoring women to their rightful place in the story of economic progress, which feels both overdue and inspiring.
Thanks to NetGalley and Basic Books for the opportunity to read this advanced reader's copy.
January 16, 2026
Economica: A Global History of Women, Wealth and Power by Victoria Bateman tackles an issue which we all know, and yet it is rarely discussed and never corrected.
Women have made substantial and important contributions to the world economy. The economic influence of women is understate, at best.
The author illustrates the concept with a variety of case studies, from history and current day. These studies tackle the early hunter-gatherer approaches, as well as women of wealth living in today's world. I felt a bit overwhelmed by the scope, and believe the book would have worked better if it took a more micro approach. Had the book zeroed in on a smaller time frame, with fewer cases, I think the author could have brought in more detail.
Despite this, it is a good introduction to an important issue.
Women have made substantial and important contributions to the world economy. The economic influence of women is understate, at best.
The author illustrates the concept with a variety of case studies, from history and current day. These studies tackle the early hunter-gatherer approaches, as well as women of wealth living in today's world. I felt a bit overwhelmed by the scope, and believe the book would have worked better if it took a more micro approach. Had the book zeroed in on a smaller time frame, with fewer cases, I think the author could have brought in more detail.
Despite this, it is a good introduction to an important issue.
April 5, 2026
The narrative that mediocre men are pushing these days is that the woman’s place is in the home, raising babies and not competing in business. A return to traditional values will cure our problems.
Except history has shown that economies (art, literature, medicine, engineering, and culture) thrive when fully half of the population isn’t restricted from following their interests and inclinations. In forager societies, 9/10 of handcrafted objects are made by women and that the majority of the calories comes from foraged foods, not hunted game. Archeologists once assumed any corpse found with weapons was male, but improved testing techniques reveal that many honored hunters and warriors weee female. China became an economic powerhouse on the silk trade - which was predominantly women’s work. There are artifacts showing women in business, as priestesses, building pyramids, as doctors, pirates, factory workers, coal miners, brewers, and more.
Bateman has a limited amount of time to present thousands of years of history from across the world, so it’s not particularly in-depth, but it is a good starting point for discussions debunking patriarchal manosphere nonsense.
Except history has shown that economies (art, literature, medicine, engineering, and culture) thrive when fully half of the population isn’t restricted from following their interests and inclinations. In forager societies, 9/10 of handcrafted objects are made by women and that the majority of the calories comes from foraged foods, not hunted game. Archeologists once assumed any corpse found with weapons was male, but improved testing techniques reveal that many honored hunters and warriors weee female. China became an economic powerhouse on the silk trade - which was predominantly women’s work. There are artifacts showing women in business, as priestesses, building pyramids, as doctors, pirates, factory workers, coal miners, brewers, and more.
Bateman has a limited amount of time to present thousands of years of history from across the world, so it’s not particularly in-depth, but it is a good starting point for discussions debunking patriarchal manosphere nonsense.
March 30, 2026
Very well-deserving of the 'erudite' compliment by reviewer Peter Frankopan; Economica is a well-researched, well-written book (I enjoyed particular moments of flair like "poverty and prosperity.")
Bateman's account of women's economic role throughout history had me swinging between hopelessness to pride to disappointment to hope. I'd love for the accounts and arguments to be featured in a more mainstream book, but I guess this is another feminist stepping stone in the river of patriarchy.
I'm also still left with the curiosity as to *why* men ever achieved the power they did. Until then, I'm going to remember Ching Shih - what a heroine.
Bateman's account of women's economic role throughout history had me swinging between hopelessness to pride to disappointment to hope. I'd love for the accounts and arguments to be featured in a more mainstream book, but I guess this is another feminist stepping stone in the river of patriarchy.
I'm also still left with the curiosity as to *why* men ever achieved the power they did. Until then, I'm going to remember Ching Shih - what a heroine.
March 8, 2026
This should be a mandatory read for high school and college students! Victoria Bateman meticulously explores history, examining major economic centers and the rise and fall of societies. Women and girls often experience this sentiment, but the author effectively demonstrates how the world has repeatedly depended on the contributions and ideas of women to progress, yet fails to acknowledge or compensate them adequately. Despite being an economics book, it is fast-paced and highly engaging, making it difficult to put down. It is truly worth the time and effort invested in reading it.
October 23, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview of this book.
Firstly, as a fan of women’s history and nonfiction in general, I enjoyed how well researched this book was. For the general reader not incredibly interested in economics, this book will be a fun but dense read. It may have been more impactful to focus on fewer examples. However, the concept of this book drew me in and will also (with the right framing) draw others in as well. On a minor note, I loved the cover art!
Firstly, as a fan of women’s history and nonfiction in general, I enjoyed how well researched this book was. For the general reader not incredibly interested in economics, this book will be a fun but dense read. It may have been more impactful to focus on fewer examples. However, the concept of this book drew me in and will also (with the right framing) draw others in as well. On a minor note, I loved the cover art!
February 11, 2026
I was really excited for this book.
Things I learned from it:
-Historically, only Muslim and Chinese cultures are intelligent and resourceful.
-Communism is great, except for all the poverty.
-Tying your baby up in bed so you can work for 12 hours a day is goals.
-Diversity of mind is what creates growth of ideas, but only if coming from women.
-Women are only successful if they’re on the forefront of Capitalism.
-Author is a Swiftie
Things I learned from it:
-Historically, only Muslim and Chinese cultures are intelligent and resourceful.
-Communism is great, except for all the poverty.
-Tying your baby up in bed so you can work for 12 hours a day is goals.
-Diversity of mind is what creates growth of ideas, but only if coming from women.
-Women are only successful if they’re on the forefront of Capitalism.
-Author is a Swiftie
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