The Law Jehovah gave to Israel protected the rights of virgins. (Exodus 22:16) It safeguarded “the due right of daughters.” (Exodus 21:9) Wives were to be “cherished,” not “dealt treacherously” with. (Deuteronomy 13:6; Malachi 2:14, 15) The dignity of wives was to be respected in sexual matters. (Leviticus 18:19) Women were not to be sexually abused.​—Leviticus 18:8-17.

Writing in the book Religion and Sexism, doctor of theology Phyllis Bird states: “Israel’s laws differ most notably from other known law codes in their unusual severity in the field of sexual transgression . . . Israel’s view of the proper place of sex and the harsh penalties laid upon sexual offenders presumably reflect a deliberate antithesis to the practices of the surrounding peoples (specifically Canaanites) . . . Sexual offenses are religious offenses in Israel. They are not private matters but matters of vital concern to the whole community.” Such strict laws certainly protected the rights of women.

In Israel, men and women were equal before the Law if they were found guilty of adultery, incest, bestiality, or other crimes. (Leviticus 18:6, 23; 20:10-12) Laws concerning Sabbath benefits, festivals, Nazirite vows, and other provisions applied equally to men and women. ​—Exodus 20:10; Numbers 6:2; Deuteronomy 12:18; 16:11-14.

Unquestionably, when the Law was followed in Israel, women were not treated badly.

Under patriarchal and Mosaic Law, polygamy and concubinage were tolerated; but they were regulated, and the rights of both wives and concubines were protected. (Genesis 16:3; 29:23-29; Exodus 21:7, 8; Deuteronomy 21:14-17)