II. The roles of women in the family
A good mother has been historically expected to contribute her whole life to her family. Mothers have been the glue that holds a family together because it is up to them to provide the loving care and support needed by growing children. Nevertheless, marriage and divorce are the most two serious matters for every women in every time.
A.Egyptian women: Marriage and Divorce
Marriage was a very important part of ancient Egyptian society. Some people say it was almost a duty to get married. Compared to today's world, Egyptian marriages were very different; husbands could marry more than one wife, and people of close relations (first cousins, brothers and sisters, ect.) could also wed one another. For the most part, however, incest was frowned upon, except in the royal family, where incest was used to safeguard the dynastic succession. Marriage required no religious or legal ceremony.
There were no special bridal clothes, no exchange of rings, no change of names to indicate marriage, and no word meaning wedding. A girl became universally acknowledged as a wife after she physically left the protection of her father's house and entered her new home. The new husband in no way became the new wife's legal guardian.The wife kept her independence, and still kept control her own assets. Divorce was a private matter, and for the most part, the government did not interfere, unless upon the request of the "divorce's". Almost any excuse could be used to end a marriage, and an alliance could be terminated at will. Anyone who had drawn up a marriage contract would have to honor those terms, and those who hadn't could, if they wished, could invest in a legal document. Legal cases, however, were very unusual; most marriages ended with the wife moving back to the matrimonial home, returning to her family, therefore setting both parties free to marry again.
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