Women’s Rights and Women’s Labor: Married women’s property law reform and labor force participation, 1870-1900

Evan Roberts
Victoria University of Wellington, History Programme

Late nineteenth century legal reforms in the United States—married women’s property acts—gave married women seemingly greater control over their assets (real and financial), wages and occupational choices (ability to run their own businesses. This paper aims to evaluate the national consequences of these acts for married women and their families.

Download poster