Married Women’s Property Act 1882

E878818

The Married Women’s Property Act 1882 was a landmark British law that for the first time allowed married women to own, control, and dispose of property in their own right, significantly advancing women’s legal and economic independence.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Married Women’s Property Act 1882 canonical 2

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (44)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom ⓘ
British statute ⓘ
amended earlier common law rules on coverture ⓘ
appliedTo married women’s personal property ⓘ
married women’s real property acquired after the Act ⓘ
married women’s savings ⓘ
married women’s wages ⓘ
cameIntoForce 1883 ⓘ
citationStyle 45 & 46 Vict. c. 75 ⓘ
country United Kingdom ⓘ
effect allowed married women to control their own property ⓘ
allowed married women to dispose of their property independently of their husbands ⓘ
allowed married women to own property in their own right ⓘ
enabled married women to enter contracts in their own name ⓘ
enabled married women to sue and be sued in their own name ⓘ
gave married women separate legal ownership of earnings ⓘ
gave married women separate legal ownership of investments ⓘ
gave married women separate legal ownership of real property acquired after marriage ⓘ
increased married women’s economic independence ⓘ
reduced the legal doctrine of coverture in relation to property ⓘ
strengthened married women’s legal personhood ⓘ
historicalSignificance foundation for later reforms in women’s civil and political rights ⓘ
major milestone in the legal emancipation of women in Britain ⓘ
inspired similar married women’s property legislation in other common law jurisdictions ⓘ
jurisdiction England and Wales ⓘ
languageOfDocument English ⓘ
legalDoctrineAffected coverture ⓘ
legalStatusBeforeAct married woman’s property generally belonged to her husband under coverture ⓘ
longTitle An Act to amend the Law relating to the Property of Married Women ⓘ
monarchAtEnactment Queen Victoria ⓘ
parliament Parliament of the United Kingdom ⓘ
predecessor Married Women’s Property Act 1870 ⓘ
Married Women’s Property Act 1874 ⓘ
region Great Britain ⓘ
relatedConcept marital property ⓘ
separate property of spouses ⓘ
royalAssent 1882 ⓘ
shortTitle Married Women’s Property Act 1882 ⓘ
subjectMatter family law ⓘ
married women’s property rights ⓘ
women’s rights ⓘ
typeOfReform gender equality reform ⓘ
property law reform ⓘ
yearEnacted 1882 ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Gladstone’s third Liberal government → legislativeAchievement → Married Women’s Property Act 1882 ⓘ
Married Women’s Property Act 1882 → shortTitle → Married Women’s Property Act 1882 ⓘ