ABSTRACT
323This anonymous piece is a generously argued plea for the well-being of an increasingly large population of women who, in their later years, find themselves deserted, alone, and impoverished. Rather than blame the women in question, this book attacks in great detail the structural forces in society – primogeniture, in particular – that created this situation. The solution offered is a very practical insurance “scheme” or trust fund to be established early in a woman’s life and paid into, to guarantee a modest source of income to support herself in “spinsterhood.” The short narrative examples of these women and their impoverished existence is painful to read even today and the author’s sympathy is genuine and heartfelt.
