Women's land ownership in Victoria, 1880–1930: Contributions to a fuller picture

Abstract Responding to calls for more research on Australian women's property ownership this article draws on underutilised shire rate books. The data challenge stubborn historiographical assumptions that women's land ownership in federation‐era Victoria was insignificant. A systematic analysis of rate books from five rural Victorian shires between 1880 and 1930, reveals white women as a substantial and growing proportion of rural landowners, peaking around 1920. Despite disconnection between bureaucratic representations of women as engaged only in ‘home duties’ and their actual economic activity, women's land ownership increased substantially in these decades, revealing their stable and enduring presence in Victoria's rural economy.