coverture

(noun)

A common law doctrine developed in England during the Middle Ages, whereby a woman’s legal existence upon marriage was subsumed by that of her husband, particularly with regard to ownership of property and protection.

Related Terms

(noun)

A legal doctrine whereby, upon marriage, a woman's legal rights and obligations were subsumed by those of her husband, in accordance with the wife's legal status of feme covert.

Related Terms

Examples of coverture in the following topics:

  • Women and the Law

    • In eighteenth-century and early nineteenth-century America, the legal status of married women was defined as "coverture," meaning a married woman (or feme covert) had no legal or economic status independent of her husband.

  • Gender and Politics

    • This concept was called coverture, where, upon marriage, a woman's legal rights were subsumed to those of her husband.

  • Women in the Republic

    • In the 18th-century United States, as in Great Britain, the legal status of married women was defined as coverture, meaning a married woman (or feme covert) had no legal or economic status independent of her husband.

  • The Declaration of Independence

    • For the most part, revolutionary-era women’s contributions to politics were limited to the private realm and women were dependent upon male relatives to voice their concerns and opinions in the public realm through a centuries-old practice termed coverture.