Women in the United States were not legally allowed to open bank accounts until the 1960s. However, it wasnt until 1974, when the Equal Credit Opportunity Act passed, that women in the U.S. were granted the right to open a bank account on their own. Before this, women were barred from owning property, applying for credit, and opening a bank account. In the 1960s, women technically won the right to open a bank account, but many banks still refused to let women do so without a signature from their husbands. This meant that men still held control over womens access to banking services, and unmarried women were often refused service by financial institutions. The Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibited financial institutions from discriminating against applicants based on their sex, age, marital status, religion, race, or national origin. Because of the acts passage, women could finally open bank accounts independently.