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Daily routines were central to the construction of identity: it was through everyday practices and the routines of daily life that identity was formed and performed. The ambition to highlight the contribution of both women and men is prominent in the Gender and Work project, where daily practices of work and living in early modern Sweden are studied. The relationship between space and social action cuts both ways: space shaped daily routines by forming the active context in which the practices and performances of everyday life unfolded. The investigation of the social and economic character of domestic routines highlights the complexity of the practices of an early modern household, in relation to goods, in the tension between urban and rural and in the dependence on life-stage and work. Domestic routines were part of broader social and economic processes. The chapter also presents an overview on the key concepts discussed in this book.

The turn of the nineteenth century witnessed a rise in fashion and ladies’ magazines across Europe. With an emerging consumer culture and the rise of the middle class, these magazines offer glimpses into important societal changes. A new gender order was being established, and magazines were one area where developing gender values were articulated. Setting out from the Swedish magazine Magasin för konst, nyheter och moder, this article analyses gender-related values, focusing on the importance of being fashionable and on amorous liaisons and marriages. The results show a distinct ambiguity in values, with contradictory images of women’s ideal behaviour, and the international influence on the making of a Swedish middle class.