Why Diamonds Really Are A Girl's Best Friend: A Comparative History of the Legal Doctrine of Coverture

FAIN: FA-57560-12

Linda K. Kerber
University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA 52242-1320)

In this study, the applicant will place the laws governing American women in international perspective to document the deep structures of law that have defined, bounded, and often dictated the choices made by men and women, even as they have believed that they were choosing freely. The project includes laws in the U.S. and its territories, Philippines, the British Commonwealth, Germany, France, and Turkey.