Women’s destiny in the Hispanic world: dowries in Bilbao (XVII-XVIII centuries)

las dotes en Bilbao (siglos XVII y XVIII)

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to study the economic and social aspects of the dowries and which role they played in relation to the nuns from Bilbao during the XVII and XVIII centuries. This way we are going to enter the conventual world and find out why women took the vows. Moreover the real impact the dowries had on their professions and conventual life. The dowries were an essential element in the conventual world, and an important influence on the way each religious community was configured