Do you believe in equal rights for women? During the 16th and 17th centuries, women's rights were limited compared to those of men. Many of these rights were based on a woman's social and marital status, but regardless of her status, she had fewer rights than her husband. As I will argue in this article, men controlled women and limited their rights regarding guardianship, witness service, and ownership of property. Women were considered inferior to men and often considered incapable of making intellectual decisions. As Professor Byars said in class, women at that time had illegitimate power rather than legitimate power. Whatever they received, they received from someone or something else. Women obtained wealth and power only in the manner deemed appropriate by men. Women faced restrictions and lack of personal control throughout their lives and were under the authority of men. Men did not believe that women could handle their own personal affairs. Once a woman's husband died, she was deemed incapable of managing her own life and was assigned a guardian to oversee her various affairs by a council or court system. This interim guardian was also assigned to his children and would oversee the children's affairs until they came of age. As the woman lost control over her children, it was the guardian who made decisions based on what she thought was best for her children. The deceased husband's father often had more to say about the children's future than the mother. The only time the mother had full control of her children was if the children were illegitimate (Weisner 231). Guardianship was also another way that cities controlled the widow's inheritance. As Merry Weisner stated in her essay... middle of the paper... Erty was left to male heirs. The man was considered the head of the family and the master of women. It was the belief that by strengthening the power of the husband, the power of the family was strengthened (Scchneider 235). It is clear that equal rights between men and women did not appear until well after the 16th and 7th centuries, at the beginning of modern Europe. Women were under the control of men. Works Cited Schneider, Zoe. "Women before the bench: female litigants in early modern Normandy". Early modern Europe: problems and interpretations. Eds. James B. Collins and Karen L. Taylor. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. 2006. 241-257.Weisner, Allegro. "Political, economic and legal structures". Early modern Europe: problems and interpretations. Eds. James B. Collins and Karen L. Taylor. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. 2006. 222-240.