Fifty years ago, in 1975, a quiet revolution took place in Britain—one that transformed women’s financial independence and reshaped the housing market forever.
Until that year, a woman in the UK could not obtain a mortgage in her own right without her husband’s permission. Lenders routinely required a man’s signature to approve a home loan, regardless of a woman’s income, savings, or financial stability. Single women and widows often found themselves locked out of home ownership altogether.
That all changed with the introduction of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, a landmark piece of legislation that made it illegal to discriminate on the grounds of sex or marital status in employment, education, and—crucially—financial services. For the first time, women could apply for a mortgage independently, judged on their earnings rather than their relationship status.
The change was monumental. It paved the way for a generation of women to buy their own homes, build equity, and secure long-term financial stability—something that had been systematically denied for centuries.
When Liz Whitaker-Street and Amy Seager, directors of the award-winning estate agency Whitaker Seager reflected on the anniversary, both were flabbergasted to realise how recently this barrier had existed.
“I was born in 1967, so this law only changed when I was eight years old,” said Liz. “It’s extraordinary to think that within my own lifetime, women couldn’t get a mortgage without their husband’s consent.”
Amy, born in the 1980s, added: “It feels unthinkable now. As women leading a successful business in property, we owe a lot to those who fought for equal rights back then. Without that change, our careers—and many women’s lives—might look very different.”
The law gave women control over their futures for the first time.”
The ripple effects were profound. Home ownership among single women has steadily risen over the decades, and women now play an equal—often leading—role in property investment and decision-making. Today, women account for around half of all first-time buyers in the UK, a testament to how far society has come in just five decades.
However, campaigners note that financial inequality has not disappeared entirely. The gender pay gap and career breaks for childcare still affect women’s borrowing power, and single women remain less likely to secure the highest-value mortgages.
Nevertheless, the 1975 reform remains one of the most significant milestones in the fight for gender equality—proof that legal rights can change lives in very practical ways.
As we mark fifty years since the law changed, it’s worth reflecting that what now feels like an obvious right—to buy a home in your own name—was once a privilege reserved for men.
This article was written by and published in Stroud Times
