With parental permission, boys are legal to marry at 14, girls at 12, though it is not recommended so early. One comes of age at 21. .
Sir Thomas More recommended that girls not marry before 18 and boys not before 22. .
A marriage contract includes provision both for the bride's dowry and for a jointure, or settlement, in cash and property by the husband's family, that guarantees her welfare should her husband die first. .
It is generally considered foolish to marry for love, although love may occur in marriage.
Everyone wants (and expects) to have children. .
Children are the property of their parents, and give them the respect a servant gives his master. Or else. .
Wives are the property of their husbands. See previous admonition. .
Some women more independent than others. However, every woman expects to be married, and to depend on her male relatives throughout her life. .
Of course, not everyone is in a hurry to get married. .
Widows can own property and run their own businesses. A widow is entitled to 1/3 of her husband's estates (after the bills are paid), if he has heirs. All of it if he does not. This "widow's thirds" is separate from and in addition to her jointure. .
It is still considered a good idea to re-marry to protect one's interests, however. There are minor problems to do with whether a woman's word or signature is legally binding. And her friends worry about her being taken advantage of by sharp servants, especially if she wants to marry one of them. .
In general, every man wants to marry too, or at least acknowledges that he must. If he is not noble, he must be married to become the legal head of a household and eligible to hold public or ecclesiastical office and other positions of civic responsibility. .
Divorce is actually more difficult to obtain in the Protestant regime than in the Catholic, even with cause. Since you can't apply to the Pope anymore, you have to get an Act of Parliament! That's a lot more people to buy.
