Report No. 66

3.5. Position in Rome-Marriage with manus.-

With the position as it prevailed in India, we may contrast the position in Rome. In Rome1, a marriage with conventio in manus, which was the regular form of marriage in early times, gave the husband a right to all the property which the wife had when she married, and entitled the husband to all she might acquire afterwards whether by gift or by her own labour. Later on, no doubt, the marriage without manus became the ordinary Roman marriage, and the position improved. But the point to be noted is that the recognition of women's rights took place much earlier2 in India than elsewhere.

1. Banerji Marriage and Stridhana, (1923), p. 394.

2. Para. 3.4, supra.