Photo : Christel Martin
Meeting with socioeconomist Isabelle Guérin about her book The Indebted Woman
Melville's third economic meeting looks at a little-known facet of capitalism: the one that exploits women and their discipline regarding their duties to function. Come meet the person who brought this phenomenon to light: socioeconomist Isabelle Guérin, around her book The Indebted Woman: In the Shadow of Globalized Finance, published by La Découverte. Meeting followed by a book signing.
Médiathèque Jean-Pierre Melville (Paris 13th)
About
Far from the skyscrapers and trading rooms of New York and Shanghai, where wealthy, university-educated men drive financial markets with complex algorithms, another figure of finance emerges: that of the indebted woman. She is neither a banker nor a speculator. She looks after her own, counts every penny, and goes into debt to feed, house, treat, and marry. She negotiates, begs, and sometimes sells herself. And always, she pays. From France to Tamil Nadu, from Senegal to Morocco, this book goes to meet her. It unveils the central—yet ignored—role she plays in the daily functioning of capitalism. These women who take on small debts are not on the margins, but at its heart: without them, no consumption, no profit. Without them, the machine does not run.
By blending ethnography, statistical surveys, and committed narrative, Isabelle Guérin reveals another side of capitalism, founded not on financial abstraction, but on shame, exhaustion, and the discipline of women. She also sheds light on patriarchy as a regime of permanent debt: to be a woman is to owe—to one's children, to one's spouse, to the State, to banks, to gods, to the nation. But debt can also be turned around. From a chain, it becomes a bond.
The Indebted Woman is not just an investigation into debt: it is a key to thinking differently about our interdependencies. The work shows how the economy, far from being a world apart, is intimately tied to kinship, to the body, to sexuality. Rethinking debt means rethinking what—and whom—we really hold on to.
© éditions La Découverte
Isabelle Guérin is a socioeconomist, research director at the IRD and the Cessma, and affiliated with the French Institute of Pondicherry. She co-founded and co-directs the Observatory of Rural Dynamics and Social Inequalities in South India. She has published numerous works on the financialization of inequalities, the resistance it generates, and ways of investigating that create a dialogue between lives and figures.
Our take on this event
Forget the world of high-stakes stock markets and discover the hidden engine of capitalism: women's daily debt. Socio-economist Isabelle Guérin pulls back the curtain on how financial survival and social obligations intersect across the globe. Join this conversation to explore the vital connections that keep our society running.
Join socio-economist Isabelle Guérin at the Médiathèque Jean-Pierre Melville on Wednesday, December 9, 2026, to discuss her book La femme endettée. This event offers an insightful exploration of how women, far from traditional financial markets, act as the backbone of global capitalism through the management of family debt. Blending ethnographic research with statistical analysis, the author examines the link between patriarchy and persistent debt, challenging our understanding of social interdependence. This session is open to all adults aged 18 and over, with free entry. The venue is fully accessible to wheelchair users.
Visit the Médiathèque Jean-Pierre Melville in the 13th arrondissement on Wednesday, December 9, 2026, from 19:00 to 21:00 for an engaging talk with Isabelle Guérin. As a research director and expert in social dynamics, she will discuss her work, which explores the hidden role women play within the modern economic system.
Moving away from the world of high finance, the book focuses on the lived experiences of women across countries such as France, Senegal, Morocco, and India. Isabelle Guérin highlights how small-scale debt serves as a fundamental mechanism for capitalism, often rooted in personal exhaustion and social duty. Through a blend of personal narrative and rigorous investigation, the discussion encourages attendees to reconsider debt as both a chain and a social bond.
The event is free to attend, with no reservation required. Please note that participation is open to individuals aged 18 and up. The library is fully equipped to accommodate visitors in wheelchairs.
