Liberation Technology? The Impact of the Sewing Machine on Women

Philipp Ager and Davide Coluccia

No 21496, CEPR Discussion Papers from Centre for Economic Policy Research

Abstract: This paper provides novel evidence on how technological change shaped women's labor market participation, fertility, and marriage in 19th-century Massachusetts. We distinguish between the sewing machine's dual role as a manufacturing technology and as a household appliance. Using rich town- and individual-level longitudinal data, we show that this innovation induced divergent responses across the wealth distribution. Women from lower-wealth households increased labor supply, delaying marriage and reducing fertility. In contrast, for wealthier women, the sewing machine functioned as a domestic efficiency tool, enabling earlier family formation and greater civic engagement while reducing market work. Our findings demonstrate how household constraints and social norms mediate the effects of labor-saving technologies, suggesting that technological progress can reinforce inequality by influencing women's economic and social roles.

Keywords: Technology; Gender; Female labor force participation; Fertility (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J13 J16 N31 N61 O33 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-05
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