Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-12-17
LAWS ABOUT WOMEN-Bv Frederic ]. HaSkin

/ in the union. According to the common law
married woman "could make no contract
of any kind This, the report shows, is
true in Florida today with a few exceptions.
Unless her husband has been pronounced
insane and has been insane for year, mar
ried woman may not rent, mortgage, or sell
even property given or wllled to her without
his consent If the husband is a criminal he
still has this control over his wifes property.
A husband in this state may do as he likes
with the proceeds from his wife's separate
property and she may not sue him even to
secure an accounting of what he has done
with her money. The report points out that
court decision extended the husbands au-
thority even to ownership of his wife's
clothes. And in another case a court ruled
that married woman did not have the right
to hire domestic servants.
In this day when so many married women
prefer work in an office or shop to work in
kitchen it is interesting to note that in
Alabama the husband generally has author
ity, backed up by law, to say whether or not
his wife may work outside the home. To
quote court decision the husband Is en-
titled to his wife's services to tn. extent that
she is still in this respect merely a SER
want" So court in 1914 decided that if
outside work would interfere with her do
nestle duties a husband could legally pre-
vent his wife from entering paid employ
ment.
So many women have business experience
before marriage that the home standards
have been advancing more rapidly than the
laws. The modern woman knows the unit
Of labor which earned dollar in the store
or office and she compares that with her
work about the house. She fl. ures that she
is putting her share into business portner-
ship and that whatever is saved or acquired
is in part he's.
There are several theories with which the
modern domestic establishment is expert
menting. One is to make the home part
nership and to have everything about the
home held jointly. Another idea is for each
own share separately. In this plan the wife
might receive a fixed salary for housework
besides money set aside for her to pay GER
tain of the bills. What she can save out of
her salary and expenses she puts away or
spends to suit herself and the husband does
likewise with his share Of the budget
''What's Yours Is Mine'
By some such scheme the home of the BUSH
ness woman is apt to be run after marriage.
But in many states it is only a courtesy ar
rangement by which the husband does not
demand his legal rights. And in event of a
disagreement or divorce, the wife finds that
she has very little that her husband cannot
control or in some states even dispose Of
So, the feminine lawyers contend that the
modern wife's scientific -nenage is built on
shifting sand.
1t is difficult to get a good many Of the
states to make sweeping changes in the old
fashioned, discriminating laws, women cam
paigners have found.
Miss Maud Younger, legislative chairman
of the womans party has said, 'In some
states, like Louisiana and Alabama which
have just taken adverse action, it has al
ready been shown to be practically impossi-
Bile to secure state laws. Further, state laws
lature may repeal the measures passed by
it's predecessor"