The first official Women’s History Month was observed in the US in 1987.

Here’s what life was like for women in the US that year.

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For a lot of us, especially for Gen X’ers and Millennials, 1987 feels not-too-long-ago. The era of power suits and movies like Working Girl and Big Business.

But when we look at the realities of life in 1987, the difference between rights for women (on paper) and freedom for women (in practice) is striking. Sure, women had made major legal gains by the “late 1900s.” But the women who pursued careers, built businesses, and raised children in the 80s still faced major structural and cultural barriers to reaching their goals.

So let’s dive in, yeah?

In 1987, women earned roughly 34.8% less than men on average that year — meaning for every dollar men made, women made about 65 cents.

(By comparison, in the US today, women earn about 92 cents per male dollar. Globally, women earn about 77 cents per male dollar today.)

This substantial gap impacted economic power, opportunity, and financial decision-making.

Speaking of…

Women could still be required to have a male co-signer on business loans.

Until October of 1988, a year and a half after Women’s History Month was first observed, women often couldn’t apply for business loans in their own names without a male relative signing on as well. Major eye roll.

Legally, women had the legal right to apply for credit… but in practice, they often were denied it.

Legally, women could apply for credit cards and loans without a male cosigner since 1974, when the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974 barred discrimination based on sex or marital status. (On paper, at least.)
Of course, banks still often found ways to discourage women, particularly married women, from getting credit independently, and lenders sometimes made it harder for women to get the same terms men received.

So even 13 years later, in 1987, women’s financial independence in practice was still catching up to their official, legal rights.

And cultural expectations persisted, limiting women’s financial independence, too.

Many workplaces still expected women to do more unpaid caregiving (childcare, eldercare, housework), which affected their career growth and their income. Women often faced biased skepticism about their creditworthiness simply because they weren’t men. The idea of a woman pursuing business ownership was increasingly accepted (yea!) but access to capital and fair contract terms lagged behind other progress.

(And honestly, it still does today.)

By 1987, women’s participation in the labor force was significantly higher than previous decades — but complete parity was concerningly far off.

More women were working, earning, and building careers, but they were unlikely to have access to the support systems or cultural acceptance that would match that momentum.

(This is another one that’s sadly still accurate today.)

Women have far more legal rights and access than just a few generations ago, and yet…

Challenges still abound when it comes to the practical realities of income gap, access to capital, and visibility in business.

Tools that seem “normal” now (applying for a loan in your own name, building an online audience, earning income independently from your male spouse) are recent changes.

I don’t know about you, but for me, that context makes our work as business owners today feel even more meaningful.

That’s why this Women’s History Month, Right Cat Creative is presenting the Women’s Power + Profit Bundle, where women entrepreneurs aren’t just celebrating women’s history. We’re creating it.