In 19th-century Norway, "women had been part of the workforce with much more regularity and less stigma than elsewhere in Europe and around the world," but they were far from equal. In the 1830s, single women were given the right to work, but only in specific trade positions; however, society at large still saw a married woman of more value, and if you were a married woman, you lost the right to work and were legally subordinate to your husband. Between the 1850s and 1860s, women's rights progressed even further. Unmarried women could now act independently in legal matters rather than having their husbands or fathers dictate their decisions, property, and assets. Also, possessions could be passed down to unmarried women if someone chose to do so in their will, and if there were no will, equal inheritance rights were granted, meaning the closest of kin, regardless of gender, would receive an equal sum of money or assets from their passed loved one. If the woman was married, she could now have assets passed down to her as well, but her husband controlled these assets until she was widowed. Despite these legal advancements and support from Norwerigan prime ministers, societal norms remained deeply entrenched in the patriarchy, so women continued to face significant challenges in achieving equality due to their "opponents using a mix of well-known biological and religious arguments against women's suffrage."