Ancient Egyptian women held more legal rights and freedoms than women in almost any other ancient society.

In Ancient Egypt, legal status was determined by social class rather than gender. This meant that a woman from the elite class enjoyed nearly all the same legal rights as a man of the same status. According to records from the New Kingdom (1550–1070 BCE), women could execute wills, witness legal documents, and serve on juries. This stood in stark contrast to Ancient Greece, where women were often treated as legal minors under the control of a male guardian.Economic independence was a cornerstone of these rights. Archaeological evidence from the village of Deir el-Medina shows that women independently bought and sold property, including houses and slaves. They also managed their own agricultural estates and commercial enterprises. Marriage in Egypt was not a religious ceremony but a private legal contract that prioritized the protection of the woman's assets. If a marriage ended in divorce, the woman was legally entitled to reclaim her dowry and keep one-third of the wealth accumulated during the union.The political landscape also allowed for female leadership. While the title of Pharaoh was traditionally male, women like Hatshepsut (who ruled from roughly 1479 to 1458 BCE) and Nefertiti wielded immense power. Hatshepsut specifically adopted the full regalia of a king to legitimize her rule, overseeing a period of great prosperity and monumental building projects. These freedoms were so advanced that they would not be matched by most Western civilizations until the late 19th or early 20th centuries.