39 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com real estate illegal to discriminate in lending based on sex and marital status, as well as on race, religion and national status. It also allowed women to open a bank account and apply for a credit card in her own name, a practice that at the time was not accepted. Another achievement of that legislation was that a lending institution could no longer require a female applicant to provide a “baby letter” from a doctor indicating she was not pregnant and was either on birth control or not able to conceive. That bizarre stipulation had been used by lenders in their belief that that women borrowers who subsequently gave birth would quit their jobs and thereby default on their loan. Such archaic practices seem hard to fathom these days but were issues that were fully entrenched in mainstream America during most of the 20th century. Today, single women make up 20% of homebuyers. That’s double the rate for single men. Women are also less likely than men to default on their mortgage, even though women as a group borrow at a higher interest rate due to their lower income and larger debt. Women also dominate in the business of buying and selling real estate and make up 65% of the country’s realtors. Additionally, 62% of property managers are women and a third of all mortgage brokers are women. The first female secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was appointed in 1975 by President Gerald Ford and was succeeded by another woman appointed by President Jimmy Carter. President Joe Biden also appointed a woman to that position during his term. Today, it’s hard for us to imagine the many injustices faced by women who tried to obtain the gender autonomy that we now enjoy. Thankfully, we no longer must endure it. EDUCATION & CHILDCARE INFANT- PRE-K Venning Road Center 1110 Venning Rd. (843) 388-6700 Park West Center 3300 Stockdale St. (843) 936-3099 • CONVENIENT LOCATION • INSPIRED APPROACH TO LEARNING • CARING, QUALIFIED TEACHERS • SPANISH, MUSIC AND ART Schedule a Tour! 2026 ® CHILDRENSDISCOVERYCENTERSC.COM Local Expertise. Expert Guidance. Renee Allison-Riley Certified Senior Advisor® Certified Dementia Practitioner CALL ME TODAY! 843-233-9251 Bella Abzug.
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