Tweet:Woman told husb that women couldn't even get a credit card w/o a male signature until 1974

[Swede]

Know your history.

Link to tweet

[Deuxcents]

1. I'll attest to this

[Susan Calvin]

56. I still remember trying to get a credit card in the late seventies

I had to browbeat them and threaten legal action. I got it. It was a Sears card. I had it continuously until within the last few years I forgot to use it often enough and they canceled it. I was sad. I still have the last one.

[DURHAM D]

2. Couldn't get a house or car loan without a male signature.

Rather ironic that President Nixon signed it into law. otoh - he had two girls

[Beartracks]

3. Okie Gov. Stitt also has two girls. Doesn't seem to have aided his perception much.

[wnylib]

22. I remember. I was separated from my first husband

and going through a divorce. I needed my own car in my own name. My father went with me to a dealership to look over a used car because he was good with cars and could judge a good one better than I could.

We found one that was perfect - good body, good mechanical condition, and in my price range. I had a good job, was self-supporting (and had supported my husband while we were together), but the dealer required my father's signature for a loan.

He gave it so I could get the car that day because I really needed it asap. The next day I contacted my employee credit union. Combined with my years of employment, good references, and the car as collateral, I got a loan in my own name, no other signature required. Soon as I got the money from them, I paid off in full the bank that the dealer dealt with. I did not want to give payments and interest to a bank that refused to allow me a loan without a man's signature.

[yagotme]

27. Good for you.

Screw that bank. If the DID give you a single signature loan, it probably would have been at a higher rate, anyway.

[wnylib]

39. The irony is that throughout the marriage

my husband had lost jobs due to showing up when he felt like it and once for losing his temper at a boss and punching him. So I had paid all our bills. Yet, as a woman, I was considered too much of a risk for a loan.

I was so used to handling things that I was stunned to realize that I could not get a collateral loan in my name. I was angry, too.

[yagotme]

42. Sad that that had to happen to you,

but at least things are MUCH better now than then.

[Hekate]

55. There were too many stories like yours, and even worse of elderly widows who'd been the family...

…bookkeeper during the marriage, and found themselves without any credit whatsoever.

The good old days.

[GeoWilliam750]

100. Mind you, even this was an improvement

In the Civil War era, men could have their wives imprisoned in an insane asylum just because they felt like it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Packard

https://www.kate-moore.com/the-woman-they-could-not-silence

THe above is an excellent read on the matter

In the end, she supported her husband when he was no longer able to earn a lving as a man of God

[The Blue Flower]

4. I remember those days

I was so excited to finally get a credit card in my own name. Does anyone else remember the days when job ads in the newspaper were listed as "for men" and "for women"? You could only apply to the ones that were your gender.

[DURHAM D]

15. A b s o l u t e l y

[ShazzieB]

17. I absolutely remember those ads!

I also remember racially segregated ads. I lived in the south till I was 12, and I remember the following sections in the classifieds:

HELP WANTED WHITE - MALE
HELP WANTED WHITE - FEMALE
HELP WANTED COLORED - MALE
HELP WANTED COLORED - FEMALE

Those were the days.

[smirkymonkey]

68. Ugh! How awful!

We can never go back to that, and I have a feeling that is exactly what these evil MF's would like to go back to.

Where rich, white, christian men ruled over all and everyone else was at their mercy.

[japple]

19. How about all those job listings for "Gal Friday?" I worked tons of jobs in the clerical

and secretarial fields back in the 60s and 70s, but something about this always creeped me out.

[wnylib]

26. Oh, yeah. Repulsive ads.

[Demovictory9]

29. my mom's old trunk is lined with papers from the 1960s.. jobs listed by gender and Colored or white

[2naSalit]

84. Yup.

[madaboutharry]

5. Single women had trouble renting an apartment in NYC without a co-signer.

My grandmother, in the late 1960's and who had a good job as an admissions administrator in a nursing school, had to have her brother co-sign on a lease in order to rent an apartment. Good credit that was obtained during her marriage didn't belong to her. That was in 1968.

That was one way men humiliated and belittled women, infantilizing them and treating them like chattel. I think there is a certain percentage of men who resent not having that kind of power anymore.

[wnylib]

28. Another way of humiliating women

in the work place was to refer to women as girls. "I'll have my girl call your girl to set up an appointment."

Adult women in responsible positions (when they could get one) were always "the girls." Nobody referred to a man as a boy - except if the man was Black.

[Demovictory9]

30. it was ladies or girls, never women

[brer cat]

54. I remember when NYT ran a full page

Let's Get Rid of "The Girl" in late 70's early 80's.

[slightlv]

6. I remember well getting my first card in my name!

I went down and bought a bottle of Royal Chambord to celebrate! My first purchase, ever, on a credit card in my own name.

Women today don't seem to understand how recent the rights they take for granted were actually won for them. We in our generation fought long and hard, and still didn't achieve equality. But we pushed the envelope, and made things better for our daughters and granddaughters... until today, that is.

I remember the Help Wanted Ads being gendered all too well... and about the only thing open to women being sales clerks and secretaries/receptionists. Gods, we're headed back in that direction; and the fight against it will be long and bloody, I'm afraid. Too many of us who fought the fight the first time around are in no shape to do it again. I know I can't stand up for more than 10 minutes at a time, let alone march anymore. All we can do for any movement that comes now is to be a living historical record for them. I don't trash that thought, though I don't know if they'll listen since we seem to have failed so badly at keeping the hard fought wins.

[Wednesdays]

50. "March" with your money

If you are able.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100216705839

[slightlv]

7. How about buying a car?!

You had to have a co-signer, and the title was always in the male's name. I remember when my ex and I moved to Kansas from Texas, I went down to the courthouse with all the paperwork, etc., to get a KS license plate for the car. Was told I either had to have my husband come down to the courthouse to buy the plate, or he had to give me a "power of attorney" in order to make the change myself! I walked out of their without a plate, but the woman who had the balls to tell me all this crap sure got a huge paragraph full of what I thought straight out of my mouth, all within earshot of every other woman in that office. Nicer ending - I was applauded when I finished my tirade!

[dflprincess]

8. Married women couldn't but single women could

At least in Minnesota. I got my first card when I was 17 without even a parent's signature. At the time everyone's first card was from Dayton's (the company that brought us Target). It had a $50 limit and the minimum payment was 20% of the balance.

However, my friend's sister told us that when she got married even good old Dayton's expected her to switch the card to her husband's name.

[Ms. Toad]

13. It was state- or company- specific.

And the change didn't happen simultaneously throughout the country.

I had trouble getting a Sears card into the 80s (when my male counterparts were easily able to get one).

Also in the late 70s, I was employed - the man to whom I was briefly married was not. We filed all of our tax returns with my name first, since 100% of the income was mine. (Keeping taxes across Fed, State, and city in the same order required us to ignore the "wife" designation for the 2nd taxpayer on the city forms.) The city credited the taxes paid on my income to my husband in the year we divorced), and then billed me for unpaid taxes - despite having my W-2s on file which clearly identified which one of us had earned money (and paid taxes).

[soldierant]

37. I think you must be right.

My mother had a credit card or two, and definitely got a mortgage in 1950 (widowed in 1945) and several refinances - back i the day mortgage interest was high to what it is today, but car loan interest was higher - possibly as muchh as 10% higher - so she just didn't do any borrowing except therough home refinance. And I think I got my forst credit card in high school - but even if it was college it was before age 21 - she started coaching me an building credit rating when I was 12 - and had me open a checking account in my own name baout that time. That would have been 1957. Interestingly that was the same year that math class covered checking accounts. Public education was at least better then - in some ways and in some places.

[TomSlick]

70. That was probably true in most states - at least at some point.

The common law made a distinction between a "feme (femme) covert," a married woman, and a "feme (femme) sole," a single adult woman.

A married woman's legal existence was largely merged with that of her husband and she had no independent legal existence. A feme covert was in a legal status similar to that of a minor or incompetent. She could not contract, borrow money, or control her own assets.

[Evergreen Emerald]

9. My mom could not sit at a bar while awaiting for a dinner table

at a restaurant when she was younger. She could not purchase her car without my dad signing the paperwork.

Make American great again???

[Historic NY]

10. I recall a women had to use her husbands name too Mrs John Smith

vs Mrs Susan Smith.

[niyad]

12. Or Ms. Susan Smith.

[Historic NY]

66. Ms. was much later in fact it wasn't approved for use by the post office until Feb 1972.

[niyad]

69. The OP was talking about 1974. Ms. caame before that.

[Skittles]

18. it kills me that so many women still take their husband's name

nothing says unequal like giving up your identity

[soldierant]

44. I did because i went from 13 letters to 5 letters by so doing.

The maiden name was often misspelled and mispronounced, but the married one is often misspelled, there being several ways to spell it with the same pronunciation. But it isn;t mispronounced at least.

[panader0]

53. When I married my first wife in 1972, she hyphenated her last name with mine.

I had no problem with that. I have always considered women to be at least the equal of men.
Men may be physically stronger, but women are usually stronger in most other ways. Men as
leaders have f***ed up the world. Let the women run things and things will get better.

[Skittles]

75. look at the ceremony itself

women allow themselves to be "given away" from one man to another

it's like, um, FUCK no

[MoonchildCA]

64. I did after about 4 years of marriage.

We just decided we’d like the same last name. He would have happily taken mine, and offered more than once, but my maiden name is so extremely common, I knew two other people in my same town with the exact same name as me, even though my first name is not the most common spelling.
We took his slightly less common name, and I can’t tell you what a relief it is to have just my name as an email address. It’s the little things…

His daughter’s husband took her last name. They just preferred the sound of it.

[DFW]

78. I think that should be an option open to both parties

My wife chose the hyphenated version, and has regretted the long paper work ever since. My sister kept her own name. My sister-in-law took our name. She is from Japan and didn’t want a lifetime of having to spell her name to Americans. And finally there is my son-in-law in New York, who took our family name and gave up his own. He was born in Russia, moved with his mom to Israel at age 9. Our other daughter isn’t interested in marriage, though she has a stable relationship and two daughters with her partner.

So, my family has pretty much one of all of the above, and we’re all still in our first marriages (those that are married, that is). So, I say each couple should decide what works for them. There is no right or wrong answer as long as both partners agree.

[dflprincess]

59. In most states she had to take her husband's name

but her legal name was her own first name + husband's last (Susan Smith) Mrs. John Smith was more of a social thing (though there were some women who did use that on everything).

At least 15 years ago I took my mom to get a state I.D. card. She had to show both her birth certificate & her marriage license. The birth certificate confused the very young (but very nice) clerk as it was an old copy that was typewritten & had way more detail than current certificates have. Fortunately, an older (like my age) clerk noticed his confusion, showed him where the county seal was & told him all was good.

Then he looked at her marriage license, clearly befuddled. The other clerk asked what the problem was. He said it didn't note what name she would use. Other clerk looked at, said "1946 - there was no choice about the name."

Young clerk seemed shocked to hear that..

[Meowmee]

81. I was getting death certificate copies recently

To get my mother’s the clerk said I would need my birth certificate and my marriage license I think, maybe I am miss remembering it. When I told her that I wasn’t married and had never changed my name etc. she actually seemed angry about that, lol.

[hamsterjill]

89. Why are some women so happy to be subservient?

I find what you describe to still be quite common. Some women get irked if another woman is strong and independent. It’s like they (themselves) are intimidated by it. Perhaps it just reminds them that they (themselves) are being treated like doormats because they accept such treatment and don’t insist on equality, and they are jealous of the women who DO insist on equality???

I’ve never figured it out. But women can be another woman’s biggest hurdle.

[Meowmee]

101. Yes

Last edited Thu May 19, 2022, 07:24 PM - Edit history (1)

I do not consider myself that strong and independent though, lol. But people look down on you maybe in some way if you never married etc. Maybe it was just my impression that she was angry and I am the one assuming etc. But she did seem surprised. I was upset that I would have to prove all of that, such a nuisance, but due to not being married and changing my name, lol, I did not have to. It does tie back to all of those laws regarding women's rights I think though.

I was in an r where I thought we would marry eventually and he wanted to change his name to mine, lol. But I preferred his mother's last name maybe.

However, I do not see why they accept that I would have to prove all that to get my mother's death certificate. Maybe they don't and again I am just assuming it. I guess it is a legal requirement, but assuming everyone is married and or has changed their name in this day and age is odd to me.

It seems even long ago that you had more rights as a single woman in some ways if you did not marry. Maybe that was tied to certain benefits you do have as a surviving spouse, for those who did marry, or maybe not. I can't remember when I got my first credit card, bank account etc. now. I didn't have any problems. My father opened bank accounts for us when we were pretty young I think as I recall. But I did not get a credit card until I was in college maybe.

But it seems society protects people who are married and who have children more in many ways than it does single people who aren't married and who don't have children. For instance only a spouse now and a disabled child can be eligible for certain extra benefits in many areas at the death of a spouse or parent.

But growing up at the tale end of that era, I was always worried maybe in the back of my mind about things like what people have described here and about child custody issues etc. if you have children. But the child custody issues can arise even if you are not married.

I remember friends of mine not being able to wear pants to school because their father would not let them. And not that long ago, maybe early 2000's I remember a neighbor being shocked that I had gone on a vacation by myself.

This is off topic a bit but I remember being at an opening wearing one of those smock type empire tops and a woman came up to me and asked me if I had just had a baby and was nursing or something like that. I laughed and said I was not nursing and had never had a baby, I think she thought she knew me too, lol!

[niyad]

11. And it is getting worse again, thanks to all the WOMAN HATERS out there.

I remember programs we put on, telling women about getting credit cards, about KNOWING all the banking and finance information, insurance, wills, etc.

I remember a lunchtime discussion with coworkers about a conference that I was going to attend. An idiot coworker said, "you mean your husband will let you go?" Other coworkers quickly left, certain there would be blood.

I remember explaining to a very nice lady that, of course she could go to the engelbert concert without her husband.

The Handmaid's Tale is here.

[Demovictory9]

31. in the 1990s, I was walking to a nearby store at dusk, male neighbor biked by and said

"what are you doing out at this time...?" and he didnt even know my name. felt he could question my being outside at the same time he was outside.

[niyad]

71. How dared you???

[wnylib]

46. I remember many times when women

would say things like, "Oh, my husband would never let me do that." Or, "I'll have to ask my husband first. If it's ok with him, I can go." (To lunch or shopping with friends.)

[niyad]

72. I had more than one conversation with those women. Such a little

trouble-maker am I!!

[kacekwl]

73. Just watch

Dick Van Dyke show or Bewitched and see it in action.

[iwillalwayswonderwhy]

82. I remember watching Bewitched

I wondered why on earth her husband objected to her using her witchcraft because it made everything so convenient. Man if I could just wiggle my nose and clean the entire house, I would.

I mean really the whole premise of that program was that Darrin felt like he couldn’t control her.

[malthaussen]

91. Same thing with "I Dream of Jeannie."

As a 12 year old kid, that made no sense to me. Magic? Yes, please!

Come to think of it, as a 66 year old kid, that still makes sense.

-- Mal

[wnylib]

92. I Dream of Jeannie made me wretch

when she called him "master." Could not watch the show.

[Alwaysna]

96. Regarding TV shows- It seems so many TV shows the main idea was to keep the man calm.

Such as Bewitched, The Flintstones, I Love Lucy etc.

[hamsterjill]

88. Or I Love Lucy

With Ricky spanking Lucy.

No thank you. My father taught me to shoot!

[malthaussen]

90. Of course, if a male were to say "I have to ask my wife" about an engagement...

... he would be considered a sissy (I use the bowlderdized term).

-- Mal

[Mr.Bill]

97. And yet to this day, when men are buying a car

they use "have to ask my wife" as an excuse to not buy today. Ask any car salesman.

[llmart]

14. Apartment leasing

As a newlywed working a full time job with a husband that was a college student, I still had to get his signature to rent our first apartment. That was 1969. I was truly pissed at that. Hell, I couldn't even get married without my father's signature.

[Ms. Toad]

16. In 1974, I did a survey for one of my senior classes

I sent letters to each of the local school districts, asking them if (among equally qualified candidates) they would give a math/physics teaching job to a male or female candidate, and why. I was dumfounded at how many of them actually answered the question honestly (a male), and justified it using blatantly misogynistic stereotypes.

[question everything]

20. And young women in the past 30 or so were proud to declare they were not feminists

[kimbutgar]

21. I remember getting my first Macy's credit card in 1975

And my Mother was surprised I could get a credit card in my name without a husband co-signing.

[Joinfortmill]

23. And we're not going back.

[Demovictory9]

32. nope

[Jarqui]

24. Here's an article on other restrictions women faced

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/10/28/fact-check-9-things-women-couldnt-do-1971-mostly-right/3677101001/

[MOMFUDSKI]

25. I divorced my husband in 1989

and could only get one credit card with a $500 limit. And my aunt had her car insurance canceled after her divorce. Lovely.

[Novara]

33. Yep, even in the 1980s

I bought a car and insured it in my name, but when the insurance paperwork was mailed, the company put my husband's name on it even though I took out the policy in my name.

While it isn't as bad as needing a male signature for a loan, I was angry enough to immediately demand they put the policy back in my name only or I'd cancel my policy. I couldn't believe this was 1988. Nineteen Fucking Eighty Eight.

[katmondoo]

45. I had an American Express Card because my job required travel. I was single at the time.

I married and put my husband on my card. Eight years later in 1966 we divorced and American Expresa took away my card and gave it to him. I still remember the call I made to American Express, I didn't let up on my anger. In later years when women were able to get a credit card I had offerers from American Express. I wrote to them that I would live in hell before ever having a credit card from them.There were so many anti women laws that are mentioned here that I experienced until 1974. I did not think I would live to see it happening again. Young women today have no idea what they are in for in the near future. They must fight, age prevents me from doing much, but I will still be in the fight doing what I can. In the meantime every man that supports this can just GO TO HELL !!!!

[Wednesdays]

51. Again, if age is a barrier,

then "march" with your money, if you're able.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100216705839

[inthewind21]

98. Similar thing

Happened to me. It was 1997. I had an AM EX. All in only my name. However, when we divorced, AMEX allowed my husband to call and cancel the card. I too called them having a screaming fit. The re-instated the card, eventually. When the divorce was done, I got a different card and mailed the AMEX back to them with a note to shove it straight up their ass.

[Bucky]

34. That's an over simplification

The sources I've read say that it was "many banks," not "most banks," the practiced that form of sexual discrimination, before the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974 was passed. It may well have been a majority of banks, but we don't know that for sure. I know that when I asked her about this, my mother told me that she got her first credit card in 1959 (while shopping for her wedding) and that she did so alone. This was in a small town in Arkansas.

But the other thing to note is that 40 years after the ECOA of 1974, women were still routinely paying higher credit card rates than men. So it's not like we're looking at a far distant sexist past

[crazylikafox]

63. No it's not an oversimplification

That’s the experience I lived through and that of the majority of the women responding in this thread

[Bucky]

93. Presenting anything as an absolute is by nature an oversimplification

The fact that you're saying "majority of the women" confirms that the situation was a lot more complex than the simplistic narrative of "everything was bad, then they passed a law, and now it's fixed." Stating "Women couldn't get a credit card without a male signature until 1974" isn't factually accurate without qualifications.

The reversal of that sort of historical discrimination didn't come just suddenly from a congressional act. It was the result of years of struggle, confrontation, negotiation, and agitation by women across the country. That's how change happens. Presenting discrimination as something that can be toggled on or off is misleading and glazes over the hard-won contributions of those who fought the good fight.

An accurate way of stating this would be: "Congress didn't outlaw bank and creditor discrimination against women until 1974, but pervasive and systemic unfair treatment of women credit-seekers continue up to today."

[Demovictory9]

35. just a few years ago, Utah - divorcing women needed ex husbands signature to change their names

back to pre married name

[Rhiannon12866]

36. Twitter replies:

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[bluboid]

38. If you didn't live thru that period...

there's no way to know what women were up against...

but you will know the steely determination of generations of women & men to keep moving forward, for fairness & equality for everyone.

[Demovictory9]

41. same with Black people and Jim Crow laws... GOP is making sure kids don't know the history

[MuseRider]

49. Truth and it simply sucks to think

of ever going backwards as much as we all fought to change it. All of a sudden, you are back to being treated as mindless and good for nothing but housework and blow jobs.

Adding what black women went through and go through just makes it all worse.

[Demovictory9]

40. the show "Mad Men" got a lot of things right about those times

Don Draper's wife was seeing a Psychiatrist who was reporting info about their sessions back to the husband

the treatment of women in the office setting.

Scene where black janitor plans to exit the elevator when whites get on.

IT WASN"T THAT LONG AGO

[BumRushDaShow]

43. Yup

When my dad died in '74 my mother was trying to get his gasoline cards changed to her name as his widow and the best one of them "could do" was to add a "Mrs." in front of my dad's name. The other closed the account completely.

I know they want to go back to this.

[MuseRider]

47. I remember it well.

My father was dead by 1974 but I already had him sign off on a bank account. I do not remember having trouble after that because he had signed and I do not remember any problem because he was dead but I suppose I would have had to go to my grandpa.

My brother who was 3 years younger than me, already an alcoholic just going from job to job used my money to buy me a car. I do not think it was that way everywhere, this was from a person not a dealership, as far as the car goes but I was OK renting an apartment so...it seemed nobody knew at that point what you could or could not do.

At this point it is so hard to remember because it feels so icky and demeaning to realize and remember. So damned mad.

[Evolve Dammit]

48. The oppression of women and POC is astounding and pervasive. Anita Hill and the result is just one

painful, meaningful example. So many others as posters have recalled other abuses. "They" want it all back to a time of total control. Back to pre-voting rights, Jim Crow. Mind your place and don't get 'uppity." Fuck 'em all.

[leftieNanner]

52. I worked for a small company (two men - engineers) in 2001

And during my brief tenure there, I purchased a used station wagon. Myself. I did it.

One of the bosses was dumbfounded.

"I would never allow my wife to buy a car."

As I said, my tenure there was brief.

IN 2001!!!

[Meowmee]

57. Although Berte Morisot

Was an accomplished artist who exhibited with the Impressionists and sold her work with success, when she married at 33 she stated in the license that she had no profession because in her position in society it would have been considered improper to say she did. Her death certificate also listed no profession. Her husband, Eugene Manet, brother of Edouard Manet, and also an artist, stopped painting when they married and managed her career.

[Rebl2]

58. I remember

around 1977 or ‘78, I got a J.C. Penny’s credit card. I worked at an insurance company during the summer and left and worked at a daycare during college. I got that card but when my friend applied they wouldn’t give her one, even though she worked too. I found that very odd. The only thing I could figure is she worked at an amusement park, but when it closed during the fall and winter she worked elsewhere. It just makes no sense in my mind still.

[viva la]

60. I worked with a woman who in the late 60s wanted to get a sterilization procedure-

She was only eligible because (this is for real) her age X her number of children totaled more than 100. (She had 4 children and was 30.)

And because she was married (in the process of a divorce, but they didn't tell the hospital board that).

And because her husband signed a paper allowing it.

She was very grateful to him for not using the "permission" as a way to extort a better divorce settlement from her.


So her reproductive future was decided by an entirely male hospital board and her husband.

I thought things had changed.
Now, maybe... not so much.

[BigmanPigman]

61. You couldn't do a lot without

a man's signature....buy a car, a house, etc.

Meanwhile the PINK TAX is ripping women off daily. Comparing the same exact deodorant for men and women makes this very clear. I went to CVS and looked at deodorant. The one for females (same size, ingredients, etc) are the same as the one marketed for males. The "pink" one was a dollar more (20%). I asked the staff what the difference was and of course I knew the answer would be the one I received, "no difference".



Congressman Jackie Speier introduced a bill to get rid of it in 2021.

https://speier.house.gov/press-releases?id=C2F060D1-0D84-4824-B9E5-40F879F22CFA

"Speier Reintroduces Pink Tax Repeal Act to End Gender-Based Pricing Discrimination"
June 11, 2021
Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Jackie Speier (CA-14), Co-Chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, reintroduced the Pink Tax Repeal Act, a bipartisan bill that seeks to end gender discrimination in the pricing of goods and services. Her legislation prohibits the sale of substantially similar goods or services that are priced differently based on gender, allows the Federal Trade Commission to enforce violations, and ensures that State Attorneys General have the authority to take civil action on behalf of consumers wronged by discriminatory practices. The bill has 48 cosponsors, including Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick and Tom Reed."

“The pink tax is blatantly discriminatory, affecting women from all walks of life from the cradle to the grave,” Rep. Speier said. “A 1994 California Assembly Office of Research study found that women pay a ‘gender tax’ of $1,351 each year for the same services as men. In 2015, the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs conducted a study that found women’s products cost up to 13 percent more than similar products for men. With women still earning only 82 cents for every dollar paid to men, and women of color facing even harsher pay inequities, the monetary losses from this gender tax are far worse than the raw data suggests and, in some cases, can extend into the millions of dollars over a woman’s lifetime. It’s time to end this un-American practice that has hobbled women and their families financially for generations with the passage of the bipartisan Pink Tax Repeal Act.”

In California, gender-based pricing of consumer services, such as haircuts and dry cleaning, have been illegal since 1996. That’s when Rep. Speier’s bill, the Gender Tax Repeal Act, became state law. She took her fight to the federal level as a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2015, after the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs published its study on the gender-pricing of goods marketed to both men and women. The study compared nearly 800 similar products from more than 90 brands sold at two dozen retailers, both online and in stores, and found that in all but 5 of the 35 product categories analyzed, products for female consumers were priced higher than those for male consumers

[dflprincess]

62. When my dad died in 1965 all the accounts were frozen

even though they were all jointly held. Apparently it was just assumed that it was his money & he "allowed" Mom to have her name on the accounts.

The irony was, my mother handled all the family finances and made the decisions about money & Dad was glad not to deal with it. She did tell me once that it would annoy her a bit when they'd discuss a major purchase and his response was "If you think we can afford it." She actually worried how he'd cope with finances if something happened to her.

[Sogo]

65. My first job out of college was with a major real estate lending bank.

Each of us, regardless of gender, received a credit card as one of our perks. That was in 1972....

[Texaswitchy]

67. True.

I got my credit card the same time my Mom did.

[Lithos]

74. It lasted until much later

1988

https://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2016/10/28-years-ago-you-couldnt-get-a-loan-without-a-man.html

[eppur_se_muova]

76. My Mom remembers all this stuff. When she applied for a job, they asked how much her husband made.

Apparently, they didn't want the woman to have the bigger paycheck.

When her daughter hears these things, she acts like she doesn't believe them.

[DFW]

77. It was just as bad in Germany

Until the 1970s, a married woman needed her husband’s permission to get a job.

[love_katz]

79. I remember all of this, all too well.

We need to bring this b. s. to a screeching halt! They can't justify any of this without referring to their religion. Why is nobody going after them on the anti establishment clause?!!!? Trying to drag women and people of color back to the Dark Ages has got to be illegal. WE WILL NEVER Go back!!!!!

[love_katz]

80. Women have had equal taxation without equal representation...

... for most of the history of this country. Women are long over due to rise up against the Talibornagains.

[Bucky]

95. not to mention...

The pink tax

[betsuni]

83. I remember my mother couldn't have her own checking account.

She was Mrs. husband's first and last name. She didn't have her own name.

[The Jungle 1]

85. I was 18 in 74.

I had one thing on my mind in 72 and 73. Would I get into college or would I go to Vietnam. I was no star student.
Presently the transmission is in reverse. Which will not stand. The right wants to take us back to the good old days when rape and incest were ignored. Abortion was a common and dangerous procedure. When getting drunk at lunch was acceptable. When white men ran the country. Minorities were forced to sit down and shut-up. Lynching was still common and ignored. Minor car accidents were deadly.
The right does not even want to teach our history they just want the good old days.

[IronLionZion]

86. A woman could be a state governor and her doctor would still talk with her husband

about her medical issues but not tell her about it. I don't know how widespread this was but the case I'm thinking of was Lurleen Wallace, George Wallace's wife, while she was governor of Alabama. She had cancer and is still the only female governor in US history to die in office.

[lark]

87. Married women were also REQUIRED to use their husbands names.

I got married at 19 and our checks said Steven and Sandra xxxxxx, not that Mr and Mrs.. Steven xxxx crap. I went to get a pair of glasses that I had repaired and signed the check Sandra xxxxxx, the optician refused to accept it. He tore it up and said it was worthless and refused to give me my glasses until he saw a check signed Mrs. Steven xxxxxx. This was in 1971. I ended paying with cash because I could not see to drive without glasses. I wanted to just walk away, but couldn't afford another pair of my very expensive prescription.

I also couldn't get birth control pills without my husbands' signature in FL., at least at my regular gyn. I moved to RI, found out about Planned Parenthood and was able to get the pills.

[Lettuce Be]

94. I was coming of age in 1974 (graduated in 1973) and didn't realize this until

I wanted to buy life insurance. I called, agent came to the house and when came time to sign I noticed my husband's name was listed first, despite me being the one to initiate the purchase of the policy. When I complained and said I wanted my name first, I was told, sorry, that's just the way it is. I had no idea this was just the way it was and I better get used to it.

I did not get used to it.

[RANDYWILDMAN]

99. My single mom told me all about this

She got divorced in 1976 and we needed a credit card to pay for things because my deadbeat dad always sent the child support check on the last day of the month.