Although the law did not rule on who exactly owned the property before the son took possession, it appears from other sources that it was not actually owned by the husband of the "epikleros", in contrast to the usual procedure in Athens where the husband owned any property of the wife and could do with it as he willed. A number of speeches imply that the property was considered to be owned by the "epikleros" herself, although she had little ability to dispose of it. The husband probably had day to day control of the property and administered it, but was responsible for the management to the "epikleros' " heirs when they came of age. The position of the husband of an "epikleros" was closest to that of an "epitropos", or the guardian of an orphan's property, who was likewise responsible to the orphan for his care of the property when the orphan came of age. Another parallel with the orphan was that an "epikleros' " property was exempt from liturgies "(leitourgia)", or the practice of requiring citizens to perform public tasks without compensation, as was the orphan's.