Norway in the 19th century

Norway in the 19th century was a very patriarchal society. Men dominated and this is clear with the character of Judge brack and Hedda, but also Thea and Louveborg.
Prostitution was legal in the Victorian era. The issue of adultery was also skewed to favour men. While a wife's adultery was sufficient cause to end a marriage, a woman could divorce her husband only if his adultery had been compounded by another matrimonial offence, such as cruelty or desertion.
Some could say that Hedda has "penis envy", simply meaning she is envious of what it is to be a man, for example, the power that men held in that patriarchal society.
Women in Norway in the 19th century couldn't vote, couldn't control their own finances, and were not entitled.

Norway was a rich society also, being 3rd in the world economically.