New Act on Married Women's Property
Dublin Core
Title
New Act on Married Women's Property
Subject
Newspaper Article
Description
Described by the online database "The Illustrated London News: Historical Archive" as having been originally printed under the newspaper's "Politics and Parliament" section, this 1874 article details the passing of an Act of Parliament as an amendment to the Married Women's Property Act of 1870. The original Act of Parliament expanded a woman's legal status in the United Kingdom, in that the Act allowed for married women to maintain their own wealth and property, so long as said wealth and property are obtained past the time of a woman's marriage. (It remained, however, that any wealth or property belonging to a woman becomes the property of her husband at the time of their union, thusly conjoining the two into a singular identity.) This separates women from the identity of their husbands, and therefore allows for the consideration of women as whole individuals, of their own accord, in the eyes of the law. In contrast to this, the Amendment Act of 1874 works towards the gradual repealing of the 1870 legislation, with the newly adopted amendment declaring that while a husband has the right to absorb his wife's property and wealth at the time of marriage, he does not carry the burden of absorbing his wife's financial debts. Though the husband and wife remain viewed as a singular entity in the eyes of the law, any lawsuit against the married couple for the debts of the wife are solely the partial responsibility of the husband, with the news article stating "the judgement is to be a joint one to the extent of the liability of the husband."
Legislation regarding a woman's rights, or lack thereof, to her own property during the second half of the 19th century hold great significance to social and political climates of the time. The maintenance of individual property remained, at the time, a legal requirement in order for a citizen to gain the right to vote. Laws regulating, giving, and taking away the property of women impacts the road to suffrage for half of the population of the United Kingdom. What's more, women at this time were viewed as the property of their husbands, as evidenced by the viewing of the married couple as a singular figure in the eyes of the law, denying them the right to individuality and expression outside of the domesticity of marriage. This gender-based discrimination and stifling of civic engagement for women perpetuates societal expectations for women to marry and enter the domestic sphere, with the purpose of women gaining some semblance of idea in addition to the protection a husband could offer at this time. Women who do not fit this legally-sanctioned mold of the "happy homemaker" became viewed as lewd, strange creatures in the social circle, and often resulted in being ostracized from one's community and becoming equated with immorality. The viewing of women as the property of men, or nothing at all, creates a troubling binary for women to attempt to fit themselves into, in turn squashing opportunities for individualism and self-exploration. Research into women's limited opportunities during this time raises and interesting and troubling question: How many great minds, great artists, potentially famous creators, had their voices silenced and their individuality questioned and denounced for the sake of becoming the property of a man?
Legislation regarding a woman's rights, or lack thereof, to her own property during the second half of the 19th century hold great significance to social and political climates of the time. The maintenance of individual property remained, at the time, a legal requirement in order for a citizen to gain the right to vote. Laws regulating, giving, and taking away the property of women impacts the road to suffrage for half of the population of the United Kingdom. What's more, women at this time were viewed as the property of their husbands, as evidenced by the viewing of the married couple as a singular figure in the eyes of the law, denying them the right to individuality and expression outside of the domesticity of marriage. This gender-based discrimination and stifling of civic engagement for women perpetuates societal expectations for women to marry and enter the domestic sphere, with the purpose of women gaining some semblance of idea in addition to the protection a husband could offer at this time. Women who do not fit this legally-sanctioned mold of the "happy homemaker" became viewed as lewd, strange creatures in the social circle, and often resulted in being ostracized from one's community and becoming equated with immorality. The viewing of women as the property of men, or nothing at all, creates a troubling binary for women to attempt to fit themselves into, in turn squashing opportunities for individualism and self-exploration. Research into women's limited opportunities during this time raises and interesting and troubling question: How many great minds, great artists, potentially famous creators, had their voices silenced and their individuality questioned and denounced for the sake of becoming the property of a man?
Creator
Unknown
Source
Illustrated London News, Issue 1824, Page 138
Date
Saturday, 8 August 1874
Contributor
Unknown
Rights
Copyright: Illustrated London News Ltd. All rights reserved.
Format
Newspaper
Language
English
Type
Newspaper
Files
Citation
Unknown, “New Act on Married Women's Property,” Manhattan College Omeka , accessed September 19, 2024, https://omeka-pilot.manhattan.edu/items/show/372.