Bankers In The Boudoir Sidedoor podcast

Content provided by Smithsonian Institution. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Smithsonian Institution or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://player.fm/legal.

Sidedoor »
Bankers in the Boudoir

24h ago 32:08

MP3•Episode home

In the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Frodo becomes invisible when he puts the Ring on his finger. Well, at banks in the 1970s, this is basically what happened when a woman put a wedding ring on her finger. Her credit cards would no longer work, and the banks wouldn't count her income as part of the household income.

This led to a fight for women's financial independence that gave rise to the landmark Equal Credit Opportunity Act (or ECOA) and the creation of the first women's banks.

In honor of the 50th anniversary of ECOA becoming law, we’re looking back at a time when women had to have their husband or father cosign on a credit application. What did it take to pass this landmark legislation? And how did it improve women's lives in America?

Guests:

Rachel Seidman, curator at the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum; curatorial consultant to the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum

Emily Card, PhD, author of Staying Solvent: A Comprehensive Guide to Equal Credit for Women

Elizabeth Babcock, director of the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum

Jeanne Hubbard, former CEO of The Adams National Bank

205 episodes