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"Man is or should be woman's protector and defender. The natural and proper timidity and delicacy which belongs to the female sex evidently unfits it for many of the occupations of the civil life."

Does this sound familiar? Sounds a bit Victorian, no? Surprisingly, with this said, the Romans weren't that bad in their treatment of women.

Marriage

Almost all of the adult Roman women are married or have been previously married. The only exceptions are the Vestal Virgins and the prostitutes (a legally employed occupation). Marriage was a not a choice but an obligation.

Roman Marriage

manus-literally it means hands. This also means the authority or control of another person, wife or slave. All marriages originally was the transfer of power over the woman from father to husband

Forms of Marriages

*confarreatio- this is the most traditional and conservative form of marriage for the patricians. It was already archaic by Cicero's time. Divorce is not allowed in this system. This marriage is conducted in the presence of flamen of Jupiter and Pontifex Maximus. This form of wedding is symbolized by cake of grain, farreus panis, the earliest form of a wedding cake.
*coeptio-this form of marriage is a business transaction. Dowry required. Finical exchange between father and husband. By the time of Julius Caesar, coeptio and confarreatio were mostly avoided by the aristocrats. *urus- by far the most common form of marriage in the late Republic. In this kind of marriage, if a woman leaves her husband's house for three consecutive nights (to stay with her family), no transfer of marriage is recognized. This is what most aristocrats preferred because the wife remains the father's charge rather than the husband. This benefits the woman because if the widowed or divorced, the wife can simply go back to her father. The father can also protect his daughter from physical abuse and the abuse of property, because she still belongs to him. The husband must also return all of the wife's property back if divorced.

The Wedding

The Bride's Clothing
The night before the wedding, the bride bind her hair in a crimson net. For her wedding the bride wears a tunic with a wool knot, a cloak over it (usually yellow and orange colored), and sandals. The hair is done in six braids, with a veil over her head. Flowers are put over her veil. The favorite month for marriage is June because of Juno.
Exchange of Vows
The vows are exchanged, "ubi tu Gaius, ego Gaia" (literally, Gaius to Gaia). By Cicero's time, people no long knew what exactly this meant.
The Ceremony
The bride formally greet the husband's family. A pig is sacrificed. The marriage contract would be witness by ten people at least usually. Then the guest throw nuts at the couple. After which they party till its night. Then the procession goes to the husband's house. Three young boys guide the bride, while three bride's maids guide the groom the house. There, the husband would carry the wife through the threshold. Inside, he would offer fire and water, and then place on his bed. The guests would leave at this point. (Unless they were stupid of course).

Divorce

Divorce had become common by the late Republic. Sulla and Pompey each had five wives. Caesar had four, Cato got married twice . (He divorced his wife to allow his wife to marry his friend so that he could have heirs. After she bore him a son, he remarried her)

Laws (17BCE and 9CE)

At the time of Augustus, adultery became a public crime. Before this time, marriage was a family matter. Now there is a permanent court established to hear the cases. Men were punished if he did not punish his wife after he learns that she has committed adultery. There was a double standard for men and women for women could not bring adultery charges. Men however are liable if they seduced married women. (Prostitutes were legal). Some women voluntarily become prostitutes so she couldn't be charged with adultery.

Punishments

There are some good news for women. Before, a husband could kill his wife if he knew she was committing adultery. Now she could only be killed if actually caught in the act of adultery in the husband's bed.

Encouraging Propagation
Because of years of Civil War had severely depleted the population especially among the patricians. Thus many politicians, including Augustus passed laws to encourage people to have children. Tax incentives were given to married couples and children. Widows and divorced wives were forced to remarry in 12-18 months. Unmarried men could not inherit and paid more taxes. The more children, the less taxes.

Right of Three Children
This law was set to further encourage more children. If a woman had three or more legitimate children (5 for the common women), she could be free from her father's control. Many women of aristocracy begin to gain control of their own lives.

Prostitution