In ancient Egypt men and women were treated relatively equally to each other, although they experienced differences in treatment based on class. For instance, a wealthy Egyptian man and a wealthy Egyptian woman were seen as equals under their laws, as were a poor man or a poor woman; however, the wealthy citizens had more rights and more advantages under their law than did the poor.

Generally, especially in the Old Kingdom, a woman’s status equaled that of the men of her own social station, and royal women enjoyed positions of great prestige and power. Although it was not always practiced consistently, the right to succeed to the throne passed through the women of the royal family. Thus the king, who was considered to be an incarnation of the sky-god Horus, had to marry a princess of the royal blood known as the Daughter of the God because of her kingly father’s acknowledged divinity. Often in the royal family, brother married sister to keep the throne within the family. This corresponds to their mythological accounts of Isis and Osiris, sibling deities who marry to maintain power. The king, however, could have more than one secondary wife and several concubines. The idea that the family line of descent passed through the women of the royal family because theology and tradition governed much of their life.

Royal women did not dwell secluded in harems but took an active role in court life, assuming the duties of regents if their husbands died before the heir apparent came of age. In the Old Kingdom the administration of the country was in the hands of the ruler, so the entire royal family--including, the wife, mother, and daughters of the king--occupied administrative positions. The women had religious functions and officiated as priestesses in cults of major deities like Thoth and Hathor. At times, queens became involved in political intrigue.

In the New Kingdom (1567-1085 B. C.) Queens achieved the peak of power and possessed great wealth in the form of extensive estates and their own palaces. The Great Royal Wife often lived apart from her husband and some of the most prominent men of the kingdom served her as stewards, tutors, and advisors. Pharaoh would have to travel to her palace if he wanted her company. Women enjoyed equal rights with men throughout Egyptian history. A married woman maintained her status as a completely independent legal personality.