Having a bank account: a right that women have only had for 50 years

This May marks fifty years since women were able to have their own bank account in Spain without having to ask anyone's permission. Until then, to carry out any type of economic activity, they had to obtain the authorization of their husband or father. If they had to sign an employment contract, manage their assets, accept inheritances, or start a business, they were subject to the restrictions of parental authority and the figure of the head of the household. But on May 2, 1975, a reform of the Civil Code eliminated marital consent. This change, which was a gateway to women's independence, had no impact. Most don't remember it being news. It was noted in the fine print of the Official State Gazette (BOE), but there is no trace of it in the press of the time. However, in those days, on the full page of the newspapers, you would find an advertisement from a department store inviting women to make their wedding registry: "Make your list and you'll get married in no time!"They were clever, but they automatically lost the right to manage their finances. Behind the media silence lay an interest in maintaining this form of domination.

In 1964, a young Berlin woman from a good family married to a Catalan businessman soon discovered that the marriage was not what it should have been. She could hire a lady to do odd jobs because her husband wanted her to take care of the house. And if she needed to buy something, she had to ask her husband for the money. lawyer. But there was little they could do. She ran the risk of losing custody of her children. Discreetly, the girl took pills to avoid getting pregnant again.

When women went to the bank, the first question they were asked at the counter was if they were married. emancipate themselves whenever they wanted. Years later, in the midst of democracy, many salaried women with permanent jobs were still granted loans. Meanwhile, banks and savings banks often find some clients who prefer that your investment advisor is a man. bizumas and savings accounts for children, moving money around may seem trivial. But for many women, having their own bank account, exclusively in their own name, helped change their perception of themselves and achieve a certain sense of freedom.