Marriage was different in the 1800s. Back then if unmarried women had property, after marriage it would belong to their husbands. All inheritance or goods get passed on to their husbands. After marriage, the husband had rights to everything, including the woman's body. It was written in the marriage vows that a woman was to obey her husband. This made it hard to escape an abusive marriage. If a woman was sexually assaulted by her husband, the court would show a small amount of sympathy. If a woman attempted to flee an unhappy marriage she could be captured by the law and punished. A marriage is a lifetime commitment, said so in vows. One would rarely be granted a divorce. The divorce rate has tripled in the past 40 years. In the 2000s one would rarely not be granted a divorce.