This presumption has been criticised on the ground that it is essentially sexist, or at least belonging to the propertied classes of a different social era.
Historically, we've seen marriage go from something that once only propertied classes practiced, to a much more democratic affair -- from polygamous to dyadic; from arranged to companionate.
The underlying problem of the representation of the people, by which was meant a wider franchise than just the county set or the propertied land-owners, was not addressed.
In the propertied classes, this meant that a widow could exercise considerable power by managing the estates of her minor children and arranging for their marriages.
