Marriage in New Netherland was governed by the laws in place in the Dutch Republic. A promise to marry had the force of a legal contract, and, if broken, the faithless one could be prosecuted and forced to honor the promise.
The painting above is : The Marriage Contract by Joos van Crasebeeck. TD
Click here for a video of Dr. Firth Haring Fabend discussing Dutch inheritance law as it related to women:
http://www.broadsidethefilm.com/people.php
For interesting reading on the lives of women in New Netherlands and their marriages consider:
Land So Fair by Dr. Firth Haring Fabend
http://www.amazon.com/Land-Fair-Firth-Haring-Fabend/dp/0595473164/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1249251553&sr=8-1
More related reading is available at:
http://www.localarchives.org/nahc/books-purchase.aspx