Until 1974, women couldn't get credit cards unless they were married! Why wouldn't anyone issue them a card?

Chances are that these days, you know many women who have credit cards. Until the Equal Credit Opportunity Act was signed in 1974, however, that wasn't the case! Back then, credit cards were only issued to men. Males were seen as the 'breadwinners' of their families and in charge of the finances. Not even divorced women were eligible for credit, since it was assumed that if they couldn't keep a marriage under control, they couldn't keep their money under control!

After the Equal Credit Opportunity Act was signed, women could easily get credit cards and have embraced this. Women now hold the majority of active credit cards by a 5-to-4 margin!

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