Final answer:
In Twain's time, women could not vote or own property after marriage and faced societal restrictions that limited their roles to household duties and certain job types with lower wages. Significant social and legal limitations were placed on their rights and capacities to participate fully in public life.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Mark Twain's era, spanning the 19th and early 20th centuries, women faced numerous legal restrictions and societal barriers. Most notably, they could not vote or run for most public offices. Their participation in professional and academic realms was also greatly limited, as they were often distracted from society's expectations to adhere to roles centering around motherhood and household duties. For instance, until the late 19th century, women attending college in any significant numbers was a rarity, primarily because society did not afford them the time, education, or means to pursue such educational endeavors.
Reflecting the broader legal constraints, before the 19th Amendment, women could not own property once married due to the doctrine of coverture, execute a will, or control property as freely as men did. Additionally, the workforce offered limited opportunities, with women being hired mainly for jobs that were deemed appropriate for their gender, often at lower wages compared to their male counterparts. Marital laws also disadvantaged women greatly, as they could not initiate divorce, control custody of their children, or manage their own wages if married.
Ideas perpetuated by opponents of women's suffrage posited that the so-called natural state of women suited them less for public or intellectual realms. They were thought to lack the discretion required to partake in voting or to own property independently, especially if married. These views prevailed until gradual societal change began to challenge and dismantle these inequalities through amendments and social movements deeply impacting the role of women in society.