What were women's rights in the enlightenment period?

Question

what were their rights, and what was it illegal for them to do

Answer 1

I think it depends on the country, and the status of the woman.

In 18th century France, for example, women of means (especially if widowed) had plenty of freedom, both financially and sexually (they were allowed to have lovers -- in some periods even _expected_ to have them).

Answer 2

Until the late enlightenment people did not think in terms of rights. Citizens had laws they were expected to obey, duties to fulfil and a place in society whose parameters influenced every action of their lives. These naturally varied with time and place.

Sexual distinctions were accepted, by and large, as natural and normal. Both sexes had (largely different) duties and privileges - privileges being mainly defined by custom, and not accorded the status of a right. What follows applies to English law and custom in the period between, roughly, the Tudors and the 19C.

The few formal rights women did have might surprise us nowadays. A woman was allowed to spend her husband's money or pledge his credit (even without his knowledge or consent, until he got the bill) for necessary expenses. A woman's husband was obliged to provide for her maintenance, even after separation or divorce. On the other hand he was allowed to manage (but never to own) her money - which accounts for the prevalence of legal settlements putting a woman's capital out of reach of a potentially greedy husband.

Women could take no formal part in politics except as queens. This does not seem to have inhibited their political activity. We have only to read the history of Queen Anne's reign to see how much power certain women about the court actually wielded.

Women could and did run businesses. When married, this had to be with their husband's consent. If widowed, they were on their own and often used their wealth to trap a toyboy husband - if they were wise, chosen from among their promising young employees, so as to ensure the continued profitability of the enterprise. Read 'Jack of Reading' for a fictional but typical story.

Women could not be doctors, lawyers or priests. They could not serve in the armed forces (though many did, informally, serve in the navy and were actually carried on the ship's books, quarter-bill etc.) As for the learned professions, medicine was the only one where women actually practised, though without qualification, under the title of midwife, nurse, herbalist etc. They were possibly more use to their patients than a qualified doctor, trained in the skimpy science of the day.

In a word, women had a very limited formal role in public life, but compensated for this by a lot of unregulated activity.

Hope all this is some help.

Answer 3

It would depend very much on where they lived, and on their class, among other things.

In the 18th century, married women generally had very restricted rights as regards property ownership, divorce etc.  A married woman's property, earnings etc, were considered by law to belong to her husband.  Also, any debts she incurred were her husband's responsibility, a married woman could not be held responsible for debt.  In England, while a man could divorce his wife for adultery, the wife had no such right (the laws were not changed until the mid-nineteenth century).  

Women did not have any political rights in most countries.  The only exception i know of to this is in the USA just after the Civil War, in New Jersey.  Here, the vote was granted to all property holders in the state, which included some single women and widows.  However, after a particularly rowdy election in the early 1800s, in which many voters cast multiple votes, the state's laws were revised, and women of property lost their voting rights.

Of course, in most countries at this time, the majority of men did not have the vote either, in England for instance only about one man in twenty had the vote at the time of the American Revolution.

In general, educational opportunities for women were limited (as they were for many men as well).  Girls were not expected to have the same education as boys.  However, some women were well-educated, often they would be educated privately at home. In France, some women were highly educated and well-known for their erudition, the literary salons of Paris were famous during the Enlightenment period.  The brilliant hostesses who gave them attracted famous intellectuals like Voltaire, and also nobility and even royalty.