Most of these had arisen not because male legislators believed in women's rights but to protect the interests of women's original families. At certain times, attempts were made to restrict women's legal rights. There are a number of legal texts which refer to women receiving extra legal protection or being excluded from particular activities. NB Gaius, writing in C2 AD, says this isn't really true. Dixon thinks the issue was really protecting agnatic interests.
Weakness is a later rationalization, under Greek influence.
Someone like Cicero who refers to feminine weakness was also quite familiar with women in high society who quite disproved it. Theoretically women were supposed to have tutor's consent to all major business dealings. But tutor didn't have to consent to marriage or political involvement. Laudatio Turiae is a long inscr which contains a husband's funeral oration for his wife. Their names are lost.