MAKING OF A NEW NATION 1776 1800
THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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as legal equals to men.
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as co-owners of property with their husbands.
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equally in divorce proceedings.
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as less equal than men.
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Detailed explanation-1: -Like other legal systems of the time, the Civil Code made the wife legally inferior to her husband: “The husband owes protection to his wife, and the wife owes obedience to her husband.” Without her husband’s permission, a wife could not conduct any business. Moreover, she could not make contracts.
Detailed explanation-2: -The Napoleonic Code made the authority of men over their families stronger, deprived women of any individual rights, and reduced the rights of illegitimate children.
Detailed explanation-3: -Women were forbidden from entering into legal contracts, nor could they be a party to lawsuits or testify in court. Wives couldn’t engage in commerce without a husband’s written permission, and all property in a marriage was the husband’s. Simply put, the Code was sexist, which reflected Napoleon’s own sexism.