Hammurabi's
famous code reflected ancient world beliefs regarding women and their status in society, but
does treat them fairly and protects them in some very progressive ways.
According to the code, a marriage contract was nessecery. This contract stipulated what
would happen if the marriage ended as a result of death or divorce.
The
husband did keep control of all family assets, but funds had to be set aside for the wife and
children's benefit should anything happen to them.
Adultry was designated as
sexual congress with a married woman. The marital status of the man didn't matter.
A man could divorce his wife without reason as long as she was childless. But if they
had children, he needed to return the dowery, she kept the kids and she got use of some of the
family property to support the kids. Women could also seek divorce, but needed the help of the
courts.
So, as you can see, the status of women was actually a great deal
more progressive than most other societies.
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