In pre-Islamic Arabia (Jahiliyyah)

The status of women before the advent of the Seal of the Prophets (Peace and blessings upon him) was very critical and stereotyped at the Arabic peninsula.

What is meant here with "before Islam" is the period known as Jahiliyyah (Days of Ignorance). This was an era experienced by people who had not had any Messenger or Prophet and were, therefore, devoid of any guidance. And, as indicated in the hadith, "Allah looked at them - both Arabs and non-Arabs - and hated them all, except some by the people of Scripture (who had remained at the true message)."

In most cases, the woman of this period lived under precarious conditions, especially those relating to Arab societies, in which parents felt hurt in their pride and dignity as individuals part of a community when a female baby was born. Thus, among the Arabs there were those who buried their daughter alive. And among them there were those who spared them alive only to reward them with a life of humiliation; this inferiority complex was felt because of the horrible stereotype that stretched across the Arabian Peninsula ,that is, to feel ashamed towards themselves at the birth of an innocent creature, pure from any guilt except that of being as Allāh the Majestic had wished it to be: a female. Allāh says by empathizing with the ignorant pre-Islamic Arabs how they felt:

"And when one of them is informed of [the birth of] a female, his face becomes dark, and he suppresses [grief]. He hides himself from the people because of the ill of which he has been informed. Should he keep it in humiliation or bury it in the ground? Unquestionably, evil is what they decide." [Qur'ān, An-Nahl: 58-59]

Like all the situations, no matter how horrible and reprehensible, there are always exceptional cases; so let's say if it were supposed that some newborn female is not buried alive, what future would there be awaiting her? ...

..An almost worst future than that of being buried alive!

She was not allowed to inherit any portion of her father's property, regardless of the amount of money she owned and the poverty and need she could have. The reason for this is due to the fact that they only made the inheritance for men to the exclusion of women. In fact, she was distributed as part of her deceased husband's estate, as well as her money was handed out to her male relatives!

At that time one could find a certain number of women who lived under a man, as they placed no limit on the number of wives they could have. And they showed no concern about what happened to women as a consequence of all this like living under cramped conditions, discomforts and injustices.

Beyond that, there was in the Arabia of
Jahiliyyah something called Shigār marriage , that is to exchange one's sister as dowry of the other's: Mr.X gives his sister as bride to Mr.Y, and vice versa, however, neither of the two pays the dowry to his wife, since it is already have been "paid" by giving his sister to the other in marriage. Here we see a clear objectification and commodification of the woman. But even in the case of paying a sum in cash, it is equally forbidden in Islām only because of the agreed exchange of women which is seen as a degrading behavior for the female figure and her individuality.