Image: Telegraph.co.ukSo much has changed in the last 100 years.
Twenty-Eighteen was a monumental year for women’s rights both in Ireland and globally.
From the continuation of the infamous ‘Time’s Up’ campaign, to the landmark abortion referendum that took place in Ireland.
Not to mention the continued discussion around the calls for a referendum to change the article in the Irish constitution referring to a woman’s place in the home.
It’s fitting perhaps that these steps towards complete equality between men and women were taken in the year celebrating a century since women received the right to vote in the UK (which included Ireland at the time).
Make no mistake, there is still a long way to go to achieve complete parody.
However when you take a step back and see how far things have come in the last 100 years, it certainly inspires hope that equality is within reach in the not-to-distant future.
Just to shed some light on how archaic things once were, and how hard women have fought to gain rights that are today taken for granted, here are seven things that women couldn’t do in 1918 compared to 2018.
1. Open a bank account or apply for a loan
Women were seen as a high-risk investment by banks as recently as 50 years ago.
In fact it wasn’t until 1975 that women could open a bank account in their own name.
And even then single women still couldn't apply for a loan or credit card in their own name without a signature from their father, even if they earned more, as recently as the mid-Seventies. Mad.
2. Become an accountant or lawyer
The Sex Discrimination Removal Act 1919 changed the law on women being disqualified from certain professions on the grounds of sex.
It gave women access to the legal profession and accountancy for the first time and meant they could also hold any civil or judicial office or post.
3. Be considered a ‘person’ in the eyes of the law - Canada
In 1929, women became ‘persons’ in their own right under Canadian law following a ruling by the Privy Council.
Canadian Emily Murphy, and four others, led the fight after lawyers challenged her right to pass sentence, arguing that as a woman she was not qualified to sit in the Senate of Canada.
A plaque created in their honour in the chamber reads: “To further the cause of womankind these five outstanding pioneer women caused steps to be taken resulting in the recognition by the Privy Council of women as persons eligible for appointment to the Senate of Canada.”
4. Single women couldn’t access the contraceptive pill
The contraceptive pill was launched in 1961, but was initially only available to married women. In 1967, contraception was made readily available through the NHS Family Planning Act.
5. Women can STILL be forced to wear heels by their employer
Controversial this one, because technially it could still be enforced.
Calls for a ban on “sexist” dress codes which force women to wear high heels to work has been rejected by the Government in the UK.
It means that employers can continue to insist that female employees wear heels, providing it is considered a job requirement and men are made to dress to an "equivalent level of smartness".
