... than that of their husbands. Women were constrained by two branches of property law, which were common law and lastly equity law. Under common law women had very little rights. Women were merely seen as property of their husband. The legal tag claimed that 'husband and wife are one person, and that one person was the husband. The notation of this tag essentially meant not only she, the wife, became a legal property but also the 'package' that came along with her. This included any belongings and inheritance that she may receive during marriage, though the law distinguished between 'real property which the husband could control, rather than sell without the wife's consent, and in the case of any inheritance the husband could exercise absolute power. On the other hand, under the same law married women had their advantage. Married women cannot be sued for debts; rather it was the husband ...

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