Divorces usually occurred because of infidelity or infertility. Yet in Erika Feucht's chapter on Egyptian women in the 2003 .
Ancient Civilisations Handbook, she states that Egyptian wisdom texts urge the husband to treat his wife well and avoid fighting with her. He should not divorce her even if she was infertile and could not bear children. The views of the different sources vary because each historian has his or her own point of view. They may have analysed the primary material in different way thus leading to their contrary statements.
Egyptian women lived much freer lives compared to women in other countries at that time. They could handle their own affairs and could initiate a divorce if they pleased. Married women were not supposed to engage in sexual activities in men other than their husband although it was not unusual for men to engage in sexual activities with women of inferior status, such as slavegirls, household workers or servants. Women who had affairs with other men would prove a problem for their husbands, as the paternity of their children would be uncertain. This would cause an inheritance dilemma. Egyptians were also known to be monogamous people. However this cannot be a sure argument because in some cases men remarried after divorce and some even kept more than one wife. There were no proscriptions against multiple marriage but the act was not popular. The unpopularity of this act was mainly because most men would not have been able to financially support more than one wife. Overall, the position of women in a marriage was equal to the position of the male. They seem to have been treated fairly but the actual status of females in Ancient Egypt is uncertain.
The economic and legal position of women in Ancient Egypt was quite equal to that of Ancient Egyptian men. As women were able to handle their own affairs, they were also able to engage in economic activities and transactions on their own behalf.