A Timeline of Milestones in U.S. Women’s History
1848 - The first women’s rights convention, the Seneca Falls Convention, is held in New York, where 300 women and men sign the Declaration of Sentiments in a plea to end discrimination against women.
1848 - The Married Woman’s Property Act is passed in New York, enabling married women to conduct business on their own, file lawsuits on their own behalf, collect rents and receive inheritances. The Act is used as a model for other states, all of which pass their own versions by 1900.
1860 - The Act Concerning the Rights and Liabilities of Husband and Wife is passed in New York, paving the way for other states. It acknowledges “mothers as joint guardians of their children,” granting married women the same legal authority over their own sons and daughters as fathers. 1869 - Wyoming, a territory at the time, becomes the first state to grant women the right to vote in all elections.
1869 - Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton form the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA).
1872 - Victoria Claflin Woodhull becomes the first female U.S. presidential candidate.
1872 - Equal pay for equal work under the law is guaranteed to federal, but not private sector, employees.
1919 - The First Woman’s Bank of Tennessee opens as the first bank to be directed, managed and staffed entirely by women. The bank welcomes deposits from men and women, although its shareholders are male. 1919 - Congress passes the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote.
1920 - The 19th Amendment is ratified by 36 states and becomes law, ensuring that the right to vote cannot be denied on the basis of sex.
1938 - The Fair Labor Standards Act establishes a federal minimum wage to eliminate pay differences between men and women for hourly jobs. 1948 - The Women’s Armed Services Integration Act allows women to serve as full, permanent members of all of the branches of the U.S. military.
1963 - The Equal Pay Act is passed, protecting all workers against discrimination in pay rates.
1974 - The Equal Credit Opportunity Act is passed, prohibiting credit discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age or receipt of public assistance. Prior to its passage, banks required male cosigners on credit applications from single, widowed or divorced women, regardless of income. 1974 - The Fair Housing Act is amended to prohibit housing discrimination on the basis of sex.
1978 - The Pregnancy Discrimination Act is passed, making it illegal for employers to dismiss women from their jobs for becoming pregnant. 1981 - Sandra Day O’Connor becomes the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. 1993 - The Family and Medical Leave Act becomes law. 1994 - The Gender Equity in Education Act is passed to train teachers in gender equity, promote math and science learning by girls, counsel pregnant teens and prevent sexual harassment.
1994 - The Violence Against Women Act funds services, resources and rights for rape and domestic violence victims. 2007 - Nancy Pelosi becomes the first female Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. 2016 - The Department of Defense opens all military combat positions to women for the first time.