GEORGIA'S MARRIED WOMEN'S PROPERTY ACT: AN EFFECTIVE CHALLENGE TO COVERTURE

Zayac and Zayac examine the factors surrounding the enactment of Georgia's Married Women's Property Act of 1866 and the ways in which it commenced the destruction of the idea of coverture. They provide a historical framework of the rights of married women in Georgia as compared to rights afforded women in other jurisdictions, discussing generally the status of women in the colonies and the states as a result of the common law that was in place at the time. A specific analysis of the status of women in Georgia during that time period also follows.