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Economic Inequalities in Saguenay Society, 1879–1949: A Descriptive Analysis

This paper presents the main findings of descriptive research on economic inequality in the Saguenay region in Quebec between 1879 and 1949. The study draws on data from twenty-six assessment rolls relating to nineteen rural and urban communities. Processed by computer, these data have been linked to the BALSAC population register, of which they have become a sectorial file. Various methodological issues are reviewed in the first part of the paper (missing data, representativeness, comparability). Conditions that must be met for the assessment roll data to be used in social history are identified.  Drawing on several statistical indices (Gini, coefficient of variation, distribution by deciles), the analysis demonstrates that the Saguenay society of that time was less unequal than were a number of English-Canadian and American communities with which it is compared. The findings also show that the structure of inequality remained unchanged throughout the period, despite the saturation of the agricultural land base and the growth of the capitalist economy.