The Legal Status of Women in the For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D. C. MAR 22 THE LEGAL STATUS OF WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA In response to continuing domestic and international needs, the Women's Bureau has prepared a revised edition of its 1938 report on the legal status of women in the United States of America. The revised report is based on an examination of the Constitutions, official statutes, and significant decisions of courts of last resort of the Federal Government and the several States, as well as pertinent law texts of recognized authority. This pamphlet presents a digest of the material compiled for a single State, which has been incorporated in the complete report. LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, WOMEN'S BUREAU, Washington, November 23, 1948. SIR: I have the honor to transmit to you a revised report on the legal status of women in Illinois. This is one of 54 separate reports constituting a survey of the laws of the 48 States, the District of Columbia, the territories of Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, and the United States possessions, the Canal Zone and Virgin Islands. The original report for each jurisdiction represents a thorough search of statutes and decisions of appellate courts construing its statutes or establishing its judicial policy. Revision covers important changes by legislative action. The study was made by Sara Louise Buchanan, Attorney on the Women's Bureau staff, member of the bars of the Supreme Court of the United States and of the Mississippi Supreme Court. Valuable assistance was given in the preparation of the report by Mary Lorretta Sullivan, Associate Economist, and Elizabeth Batson, Editorial Assistant, both of the Bureau staff. Respectfully submitted. Hon. MAURICE J. TOBIN, FRIEDA S. MILLER, Director. Secretary of Labor. III |