1950s women "Fight Back Rally"

I think the difference was that it was not illegal for for women to open their own bank account or have a credit card in their own name before 1975 but some banks probably made up their own rules.

The 1975 Act made it illegal to discriminate against women therefore it was illegal to prevent them from opening their own bank account.

Therein lies the difference.

Yes, that's what I was getting at. It wasn't that there was no legal right to do so, but that there was no protection against being refused.

maddyone

I was informed by letter whilst I was still working that I would receive my state pension at 61 (I think it was 61) but was not informed at all that I would then not receive my state pension until I was 63. I found out by doing a search on my pension benefits. I was never at any stage told that because I contracted out that I would receive a reduced state pension. It isn’t because I worked fewer years as one poster upthread suggested, it was because I contracted out. I didn’t choose to contract out, it just happened and I didn’t know it was happening because at no was it time explained to me by anyone. I then missed out on the new, higher state pension by three weeks. Not as suggested because I worked fewer years but by virtue of my birth date.
The whole debacle has been a mess. I’m sure it could have been done more fairly, but it wasn’t and it’s left many people feeling short changed.

This is typical of the stories I've heard. Not stupid women or people with their heads in the sand, but women with good jobs who were just not told what was going on. How did the clever ones who knew all of it know that they should look it up (or how to do so pre-Internet), or was it more that they were just lucky enough to have an employer or union who bothered to tell them? As often as not we don't know what we don't know.

That's what I'm trying to say

Badly it seems

Violet sky didn’t say it was illegal for a woman to have a bank account before 1975, they were pointing out that there was no legal right - a bank was legally allowed to refuse a woman’s application, purely on the grounds of her gender.
If the bank turned down the application then the woman could find another bank that was willing to accept her as an independent customer, or ask her male next of kin to sign for her (usually her father or husband). Not all banks refused women's custom - but some definitely did.

Sorry yet again for repeating things others have said so much more clearly. My internet was playing up and my post just didn’t send last night when it should have.

I didn't have a bank account until I was on a monthly salary which was in 1972 even though I began working in 1968; got paid weekly in cash in a little brown envelope. I could not have a credit card when they came out in 1972 either, but my boss had one as it was such a big deal, he told everyone.

During this time period my friend and colleague couldn't get a mortgage as she was not married, had no male relative to vouch for her. She was left the money in her father's will but it took 10 years before she finally move into her own home.

I also remember earning less then my male colleague, who was doing exactly the same job. I also remember being refused a position because of my age of 25, just in case I got pregnant. The good old days hey.

I also remember in my late 40s early 50s, in early 2000s not able to get a teaching job because I had no experience even though I had a masters degree and taught aboard for 40 years.

Just heard a friend has been made redundant at the age of 55, job being sent to India. Little chance of getting another job until she can retired, Will have to go on the dole I suppose as she is not married, so no one to support her. Sound familiar?

Now we have to justify and fight for our pensions, even though we have worked hard for it.

Somethings never change

Maybe I just need a holiday, oh Happy days if you can afford it.

Thanks Dizzyribs

VioletSky

I probably should have said some women, because some women indeed could not and did nit have the legal right to till 1975

Sorry, but the meaning seemed quite clear.
We queried which women were not allowed by law to have their own bank account until 1975.
some women is rather vague.

I think we need to remember women weren't even allowed to open their own bank accounts till 1975

I think we should remember and make it clear that they could open their own bank accounts and many of us did, way before 1975.

The 1975 Act ensured that it was illegal to refuse a woman's right to open a bank account.

Women did not have the legal right to open bank accounts until 1975.

Other posters have described their experiences and also the other issues they faced

Something talked about often by the women in my family, especially those stuck in awful marriages who would have been severely disadvantaged had they tried to leave.

Women fought for equality for a reason

So coercive, controlling husbands were the ones preventing these women opening bank accounts, not the banks?

Most banks seemed quite happy for women to open accounts in their own names for very many years before 1975.

The 1975 Act ensured that banks could not refuse women opening a bank account, by law.

Women fought for equality for many reasons.

The act came about because women were being discriminated against

That's just the truth

Not sure what else I can say

I missed out on getting my pension by just 6 months and was not a happy bunny at all. I had friends just a few months older than me who got it years before me. they had no sympathy for me though and said “there has to be a cut off point.” (I’m alright Jack!!

However, now I will get the full NEW state pension of just over £200 a week and they will get the old pension which is about £40 a week less. Of course they are up in arms about that.

Callistemon21

So coercive, controlling husbands were the ones preventing these women opening bank accounts, not the banks?

Most banks seemed quite happy for women to open accounts in their own names for very many years before 1975.

The 1975 Act ensured that banks could not refuse women opening a bank account, by law.

Women fought for equality for many reasons.

Agreed.

In point of fact, men don't cause all the problems assumed to be their fault by many people. Women look after their own well being. I do.

Women can, do, and always have looked after their own well-being when they could, but the fact remains that the law was stacked against women for years, and it is this, IMO which made it fair that women got state pensions earlier than men.

Women were not always allowed to join in occupational pensions. Until the EA, women and men were paid different rates for the same jobs, and for years afterwards it was easy to employ women and girls in jobs with different titles to mean and boys so they still earned less. Many women gave up work to look after children. Working part-time meant that many were excluded from occupational pensions for years, so their contributions were lower on retirement. The law allowed women to pay in less (the married women's stamp) which meant that they had smaller pensions - it goes on and on.

Yes, men have grievances too. Let them fight for them, and there is a good chance that I will support them. But those grievances are not what women are talking about. And critically, it is not the 'equalising' of the SPA that WASPI is about, (although other women's groups are fighting for recognition of the inequality that led to the differential in SPA to be recognised - as I keep saying, WASPI is only one pressure group amongst many. It is the lack of notice given to so many women, who were left with insufficient time to get their affairs in order and plug the gaps that suddenly opened up before them.

VioletSky

The act came about because women were being discriminated against

That's just the truth

Not sure what else I can say

Yes it was realised that discrimination was wrong. It still exists but normally not so blatently. I go by the rule if I have to think what gender a peron is before I can decide how I am going to treat someone then that is discrimination. There are a few exceptions like medical or sport but very few.