The article aims to research and show differences among households within the peasant society in the Goriška brda region in terms of their economic and thus social standing. The latter served as a basis for understanding inheritance strategies and households' manners of survival, as well as links and relations within the society. Based on an analysis of lease contracts and population structure, we can state that the majority of peasants did not own the land they worked on. The meagre state of research so far leads to the conclusion that lease contracts referred to with the same term varied in different periods and areas in which they occurred. They were adapted to the economic circumstances at hand and, in particular, to market requirements.