Women Bank Shareholders in Cyprus (1913-1930): Bridging ‘Separate Spheres’ in a Family Type Economy

Abstract

The issues of gender and banking historiography have been poorly discussed by national literature. This paper seeks to help cover this gap and further contribute to the limited, yet very informative existing knowledge regarding the role of women in Cyprus’s historiography and economy. In addition, it aims to challenge the master narrative of ‘separate spheres’ and to discuss women’s investment activity within a family framework. For this, I have researched two bank shareholders’ ledgers from the Bank of Cyprus Historical Archive covering the period between 1913 and 1930, and the digitalised archives of ten Greek Cypriot newspapers.