Emigration of people of the Pyrenees in North America in the XIXth and XXth centuries

Fewer Pyrenean women than men emigrated to the United States in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, but the reason was neither the cost nor the dangers of emigration, as historiography has claimed In fact, these women had other more preferable opportunities in France. Using the Basque case, together with different sources and methods (census, genealogies, property documentation, and interviews with emigrants), this article aims to demonstrate that the Pyrenean "house system", characterized by single inheritance, still prevalent at the time despite the egalitarian laws of the Civil Code, was responsible for women's reluctance to emigrate. They inherited patrimony more often than had previously been the case, thus taking over the responsibilities of men who instead preferred to emigrate to America. Some women refused to join brothers who sometimes fared well in the United States because they found living and working conditions thousands of miles away discouraging, despite better opportunities of economic success. Those who, despite these conditions, decided to emigrate made great sacrifices. A strong character was needed to overcome the inherent ordeals. However, these emigrants were responsible for the creation, development, and proliferation of Basque communities that have perpetuated family and cultural practices in America to the present day.