Nine things American women were banned from doing in 1971
by Anorak | 11th, September 2019
We’ve come a long way, baby. On Twitter @WPCelebratio compiled a list of nine everyday things American women were banned from doing in 1971 (via):
- A woman couldn’t get a credit card in her own name. They often needed a man to co-sign for a card. The Equal Credit Opportunity Act put a stop to this discrimination in 1974.
- Until the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978, women could be fired for getting pregnant (or not hired if they were pregnant). Despite the act, pregnancy discrimination continues today.
- Fight on the front lines – admitted into military academies in 1976, it wasn’t until 2013 that the military ban on women in combat was lifted.
- Women couldn’t attend certain Ivy League schools. Harvard did not fully admit women into its undergraduate program until 1977, Dartmouth took until 1972, and Columbia waited until 1983.
- In some states, women couldn’t say “no” to sex with their husbands. In 1993, the last two states (Oklahoma and North Carolina) withdrew their marital rape exemptions. But even today, several states treat marital rape as a lesser offense with smaller penalties compared to non-marital rape.
- Until a 1972 Supreme Court case, unmarried women in some states were prohibited from purchasing birth control pills.
Readers’ responses are illuminating:
The Telegraph looked at what women in the UK could not do in 1918:
Applying for a credit card or loan in their own name
Working in the legal profession and civil service
Inheriting and bequeathing property on the same terms as men
Claiming equal pay for doing the same work as men
Prosecuting a spouse for rape
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Posted: 11th, September 2019 | In: Key Posts, News Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
