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Philanthropic women and accounting. Octavia Hill and the exercise of 'quiet power and sympathy'

Walker, Stephen Paul 2006. Philanthropic women and accounting. Octavia Hill and the exercise of 'quiet power and sympathy'. Accounting Business & Financial History 16 (2) , pp. 163-194. 10.1080/09585200600756217

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Abstract

Philanthropic work involved large numbers of middle-class women in the performance of accounting functions during the nineteenth century. This hitherto ‘hidden’ group of women accountants is explored through a biographical study of housing reformer Octavia Hill. It is revealed that in her early life Octavia Hill practised accounting as the manager of a craft workshop, college secretary and manager of a household. She also taught bookkeeping. Octavia Hill's application of accounting in housing management was founded on contemporary notions of order, hierarchical accountability, debt avoidance, the importance of detail and accuracy, and concepts of stewardship and trust. The manner in which Octavia Hill employed accounting as a technique of watching, disciplining and improving her tenants is also examined. There follows an analysis of the relationship between Octavia Hill's accounting and prevailing concepts of domesticity and gendered spheres. The importance of accounting in the feminised profession of housing management during the interwar period is also discussed. Other examples illustrative of the importance of accounting to women's philanthropic endeavour are alluded to.

Item Type: Article
Date Type: Publication
Status: Published
Schools: Business (Including Economics)
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions
H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > HF5601 Accounting
H Social Sciences > HS Societies secret benevolent etc
Uncontrolled Keywords: Accounting; women; philanthropy; housing management; nineteenth century; Octavia Hill
Publisher: Routledge
ISSN: 0958-5206
Last Modified: 19 Mar 2016 23:09
URI: https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/41139

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