Women’s Rights in Britain 1500-1925

3 credit hours · Undergraduate

The rights and obligations of women in a society are often central to their status, economic power and life experience. Students examine changes in women’s legal rights, entitlements and duties in England and (to a lesser extent) Wales and Scotland over the course of more than four centuries. Topics include property rights, inheritance practices, domestic violence, the gap between legal theory and social practice, the differing experiences of single, married and widowed women, female citizenship and nationality, and women suffrage.