Abstract:
This thesis uses Nova Scotia probate records to examine the level of female financial sophistication and wealth from 1910-1930. The wills of 149 women from Annapolis County women were read and analysed to determine the nature of their investments and wealth. The impacts of variables found in the wills such as marital status, location (urban vs. rural), wealth, and debt were all examined and found to have no strong relationship with whether women possessed different types of investments. From the levels of wealth described in the wills, a Gini coefficient of 0.78 was calculated, which shows extreme wealth inequality in the sample. This thesis deepens knowledge about the financial lives of mostly rural women in an understudied time period and shows the richness of detail available in probate wills.
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