How attitudes have changed towards women?

When trying to get a mortgage in 1976, I couldn't get one on my own without a mans signature, but my (now ex) husband could with just his signature.

In 2010 I had a new central heating boiler fitted in my own house where I live alone. The insurance cover still arrives addressed to MR Sparklefizz.

Re vasectomy, I had to give permission for my husband to have one, and we both had to go for a very brief counselling session, perhaps because we were only 30, to make sure we knew what we were doing.

Re contraception, I could not get the Pill unless I could give a wedding date to my GP which was not more than 3 months ahead. He said it would take that long for the Pill to get into my system!!! It never occurred to me to lie

I was working for a well known bank during the Winter of Discontent in 1971/72 when there were all the strikes. I was PA to one of the Bank's Directors and there were a lot of dresscode rules, eg. we had to keep our arms covered down to the elbows, etc.

When we had no power in the Bank because of the strikes, obviously it was freezing. Eventually the Bank Directors decided that the PAs and Secretaries could wear trousers while the lights were off in order to keep warm, but that the minute the lights came on, we were not to be seen in them, and we had to rush off and get changed into skirts, stockings and high heels in the Ladies loo, even though the building hadn't warmed up so it was still freezing.

DD1 went to buy her new Jag recently, in jeans and trainers- and was treating like a 'dumb blonde' - she played along with it- until salesman asked when her husband would come to confirm the sale. She said there was no need- and she could just as easily buy it cash from the garage in the next town if they'd rather. But how will you pay for it, he asked. Cash, she said- and walked out and went to next town where she was warmly welcomed.

I didn’t think so either sodapop but a previous poster said that she’d had to give permission for her DH to have one.

I don't think men were required to have permission from their wives to have a vasectomy
SirChenjin

I lived alone for a few years after leaving my first husband and went alone to buy new cars when necessary. I liked Fiats particularly but in one showroom a salesman would persist in calling me "little lady" and asking what colour car I wanted. I was so annoyed by this I got a salesman from another showroom to get the car I wanted. He thought it was hilarious.

In the late 80s just after moving to a new house,
(which I had virtually single handedly organised, due to DH working away.
Whilst looking after our two small children and caring for terminally mother, who sadily died just couple of weeks prior to us moving into our new home)

We discovered that we had very bad Tv reception.

It seemed that roof aerial was quite bent.

So I did a quick search in the local free paper and spotted an ad for a local TV aerial company.

A rather jolly fellow arrived in TV aerial van, looked up at the aerial on roof, scratched his chin and said
"looks like you need a new aerial love"

I said "yes that's what we thought".
"How much would you charge to fit me a new one and how soon could you do the job?

His reply was "I would need to discuss price and fitting with yer husband.

"You're joking right?"

" No love don't do business with women, they have habit of changing their minds or haven't asked hubby before they order and then have to ring up and Cancel!"

I wish I could say that I came back with smart rebuke and a dont call me Love, but sadily not.

I just said 'goodbye!' and went off to find another not so local aerial company.

I know the same conversation would not happen today.
However, if it did, then he would not only get the sharp end of my tongue, but I would also have the satisfaction of giving a big fat 0 star rating and a bad review on the company website to boot!

I lost track of the number of times I was asked when I planned to start a family.

I was once asked to sew on a button which had come off my employers shirt (told him in no uncertain terms where he could stick the button)

One day DH arrived home with a friend, when DH said he was making coffee and did I want one his friend expressed surprise that DH hadn't asked me to make it! (DH replied that I was his wife not his servant).

I remember my parents wanting a downstairs toilet fitted so that my grandfather could come and stay when he was getting to the end of his life in the 80's, Mam always dealt with the finances so arranged a plumber for a quote one afternoon when Dad was at work, the plumber wouldn't give a quote unless my Dad was there in case Mam didn't have "his permission to don the work", needless to say he didn't get the job

So many of these posts bring back memories!

When I worked for a major exporting company as a translator/interpreter, a visiting customer commented on how clever my six male colleagues were, knowing different languages. “They’ll have you speaking foreign next”, he smirked.

On the plus side, my DD1 was born in 1980, and was about 6 when she asked if men were allowed to be Prime Minister.

Hahaha MerylStreep....that’s exactly what I did.... I’d had a daughter in 1977...a miscarriage in Jan 78....a second in July ‘79...and my son was born in 1980. I asked then for sterilisation as I was using ‘the pill’ and had already had a minor stroke !! They said only if I could get my husband to agree. I took the paper home and faked his signature on the form . Didn’t even tell him I needed consent...did the same for first bank account as he definitely didn’t want me to have one of those.

grandtante In 1967, when abortion was being legalised in the UK, I came across a table of the abortion rates in different countries. Among the "10 per 100,000 live births" kind of figures (I can't remember the actual numbers) and the claims of "Zero!!!!" by some virtuous or very blinkered countries, there was the figure for the Soviet Union of ^"6 per live birth"* In other words, a Russian woman with two children would, on average, have 12 abortions over her child-bearing life. I don't know whether that was legally or illegally, but these were presented as official figures.

Daisymae When we bought our first house (1963) the mortgage societies wold lend two and a half times the husband's salary, nothing on the wife's. One result of that, incidentally, was that most first buyers could only afford to buy cheap houses, so "starter homes" stayed low-price. Once wives' salaries could be added in, they could bid higher, so prices rose to match. That was the start of the spiral.

I remember going for our first mortgage - the advisor spoke almost exclusively to my husband - my wages were not taken into account as I would 'be giving up my job to have a baby' - in fact, I think that apart from greeting me when we arrived and shaking hands when we left he didn't really speak to me at all!

I had an uncle who never managed to get into the twentieth century apart from accepting women had votes.Whenever we visited my aunt, uncle would bring out a bottle of sherry asking DH is it ok for your wife to have a glass?' This kind of attitude still unfortunately exists having had experience when visited by a building contactor wanting to speak to 'your husband' ? before taking on any house repairs.I said H was abroad refusing to enlighten him of late H' and would contact builder at a more appropriate time.Needless to say I would not give any one business with that attitude.

In 1994 our new male headteacher said he didn't want the (all) female staff to wear trousers to work.

Four years later I was teaching part-time and applied for a full-time post. I asked him if they were looking to employ a male teacher (I just got that impression) and he said yes, so I withdrew my application and never questioned it! A male teacher was subsequently appointed.

Grammaretto ''Did you choose that uni? Jura?
I hope not and told them why.''

yes I did, because as a mum of 2 children, I had to go to my local one. I asked to see the Lecturer in question, and told her quietly and calmly how her comment upset me. She was mortified and apologised profusely- and said she was trying to protect me, as all the mature students married with young children, on the course in the last few year- had husbands who made their lives a misery, would not support them and ended up in divorce during the course.

I accepted her apology- but told her she should have been clearer. She was great on the course and we got on very well.

I remember being stopped by a Market Researcher in the street who asked if she could do a short interview. I agreed. First question 'who is the Head of household in your family' - my reply 'no-one'. She asked if I worked, so I replied that I was a SAHM. Asked if OH worked and I replied 'yes'. She said, so he is the Head of Household then, I will put that. I said 'NO we both are, jointly, as partners'. Her reply 'ah but he is the Head of houselhold'. Replied 'NO' and walked off.

Until around 1970, pessaries, coils or the pill were only available to married women in many countries. Doctors could refuse to discuss birth control even with married women if they disliked family planning for religious or other reasons.

I doubt that abortion was legal anywhere before 1970.

A man could have his child included in his passport in Great Britain without his wife's consent, but a woman had to have the passport form signed by her husband if she had a child added to her passport. My father found this ridiculous in 1958 when my mother and I went to visit my maternal grandmother without him, but he had to sign the form.

Any married woman going into hospital for an operation needed her husband's signature before the procedure could be carried out - not sure when that law was changed.

Girls were not allowed to whistle when I was a child in Scotland in the 1950s and 1960s "A whistling woman and a crowing hen is neither good for God or men". A schoolfriend of mine was told by her mother that Our Blessed Lady weeps when a girl whistles.

Both my grandmothers disapproved of girls and women in slacks. We and my mother wore skirts or dresses when visiting or being visited.

We took it in turns to make tea in our 100% female office back in the 70's; when a man joined us and refused to make it - he didn't get any!

When I tried to buy a washing machine the (male) assistant said that he would have to make a 'little phone call' to my husband to see if he would let me sign an HP agreement. I was so annoyed - particularly as I earned the same level of salary - and told him haughtily that I would be paying the full amount with my own cheque. I had wanted to buy it on instalments but - how very dare he!

In 1969 the civil service department I worked for meant I had to resign on marriage and then be re-employed in my married name (if the head of department wanted me to stay). I was lucky to be re-employed I suppose and as a bonus I got a "dowry" (a word you don't hear these days) - can't remember how much but every little helped back then. I stayed there until six months pregnant with first child and then stopped working which was the norm back then.

I think this is worthy reading for those on Mumsnet.

In the 80's I applied for a points reward card on my Sears account. After around a year or so, my hubby wondered why he didn't also have a card, so I went and asked for him to be put on the account as well. We received new cards in the mail, and suddenly my name changed from Michelle D to Mrs Rod D! When I called to complain, they said only Mr. D. could make any changes to the account since he was marked as the main account holder.

This still infuriates me!

Some of these stories sound archaic but not everything is so advanced.
It hasn't been very long since baby-changing facilities were only in the Ladies even at busy motorway services. Men are left stranded with a smelly baby.

It's often women who are the culprits, not always the men.
My friend who became the first senior police chief, in * found the male fellow officers were far more supportive than the women who were jealous perhaps.
Come on sisters, unite!!

I do remember in the early days of my mortgage the building society calculated the loan as something like triple the husband's earnings and one and half times the wife. I don't suppose they would have countanced the idea of couples who were not married. When employers were not able to specify the sex of a prospective employee any longer they would get around it by saying that they wanted a 'bubbly' receptionist etc.

As a kid I needed a loo and we were at a pub...my younger brother was able to use ththe gents as it was just inside the door but as they would need me to walk through the pub to get to the ladies, I had to go in the bushes...