Woman

A woman is an adult female human being, as contrasted with a man, an adult male, and a girl, a female child. The term woman (irregular plural: women) is used to indicate biological sex distinctions, cultural gender role distinctions, or both.

Legal rights of women historically

See article Legal rights of women.

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Some early legal systems that are the antecedents of modern systems formalized female dependency.

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Mosaic law

In the Mosaic law, divorce was a privilege of the husband only: the vow of a woman might be disallowed by her father or husband, and daughters could inherit only in the absence of sons (and then they were required to marry within their tribe). The guilt or innocence of a wife accused of adultery might be tried by the ordeal of the bitter water. Besides these instances, which illustrate the subordination of women (2 Deut. xxiv. 1. Numb. xxx. 3-Numb. xxvii., xxxvi. Numb. v. II.), there was much legislation dealing with, inter alia, offences against chastity, and marriage of a man with a captive heathen woman or with a purchased slave. Far from second marriages being restricted, as they were by Christian legislation, it was the duty of a childless widow to marry her deceased husband's brother.

Related Topics:
Mosaic law - Divorce - Inherit - Inter alia - Chastity - Slave - Christian

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