women and property

     Until fairly recently, historically speaking, women didn't own property. Laws varied from country to country and from state to state within some countries ( like the United States ), but in most places women didn't own property of any kind. Any property that seemed to belong to a woman actually belonged to her father, then to her husband or brother, and then to a son or nephew.  Countries with the oldest traditions sometimes kept  the custom of dower property--property left by a mother to a daughter. In more enlightened and "modern" countries, this was considered a throwback to the Middle Ages, or to ancient times. Women didn't need property when  enlightened "modern" men could keep it for them.