> a woman had little chance of making a living of her own
A state of affairs created and maintained by exactly the same people transacting in women…
How odd
A solo man couldn’t create a self-sustaining life either. Ultimately women got transacted around to solve this problem rather than men because men tend to be physically stronger than women, and that’s it. No matter how you dress it up.
In the past, a woman had little chance of making a living of her own. That was the purpose of a dowry.