Married Women's Property Act 1882

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Traditionally, a husband and wife were 'one person in law'. As a result, according to Blackstone, 'the very being or legal existence of [a married] woman [was] suspended during the marriage, or at least [was] incorporated and consolidated into that of the husband: under whose wing, protection, and cover, she performs every thing' (see Coverture).

This position was changed by the Married Women's Property Act 1882 and subsequent legislation in Britain. That Act ensured that married women had the same rights to buy, sell, and own property as unmarried women did.

The Act was a rallying point for many first-wave feminists in the late nineteenth century. The Act was only passed after years of intense political lobbying by dedicated women. In particular, Ursula Mellor Bright (1835-1915) has been credited with leading the movement for the Act, dedicating ten years of her life to it. She was an executive member of Married Women's Property Committee (1868-82) and served as the Committee's treasurer (1874-82). The passing of the law meant that women were legally recognized as individuals in their own right for the first time in history. This Act mainly benefited wealthier women who were given property or, more rarely, had the chance to own property.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

Property Rights of Women (http://www.umd.umich.edu/casl/hum/eng/classes/434/geweb/PROPERTY.htm)
Elizabeth Crawford, ‘Bright, Ursula Mellor (1835–1915)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 5 Feb 2007