Nicholas Terpstra 
Cultures of Charity [EPUB ebook] 
Women, Politics, and the Reform of Poor Relief in Renaissance Italy

Renaissance debates about politics and gender led to pioneering forms of poor relief, devised to help women get a start in life. These included orphanages for illegitimate children and forced labor in workhouses, but also women s shelters and early forms of maternity benefits, unemployment insurance, food stamps, and credit union savings plans.