Women's Property Rights

Women's Property

In 1848 the state of New York passed the Married Women's Property Act

Each state had their own set of rights of women. The widow had more rights than the married woman. I recall reading somewhere that as soon as a widow married her new husband had legal rights to earn money off the property but could not sell the property without the wife's signature. This allowed the widow to give the property to her children from the first marriage.

New York's 1848 law helped shape the rights of women in the years to come. But it still was a struggle through the 19th century.