Historical accounts reveal women's significant, often overlooked, economic contributions across various eras and cultures, from Ancient Greece and Rome to Pax Islamica and China's Golden Age. Despite facing societal constraints and being pushed towards domestic roles, women excelled as courtesans, poets, potters, inventors, weavers, and even in roles like bankers and pirates. These diverse economic activities, though sometimes unencouraged or exploited, laid foundations for societal development, particularly in the rise of the Western world.