Until 1988, many U.S. banks and lenders required a woman to have a male co-signer (husband, father, or other male relative) in order to get a business loan. This was legal until the Women’s Business Ownership Act of 1988, signed by President Ronald Reagan. That law (Public Law 100-533) made several landmark changes: - Prohibited states from requiring male relatives to co-sign business loans for women. - Established the Women’s Business Center program. - Required the U.S. Census Bureau to count women-owned businesses more accurately. - Expanded access to federal contracts for women-owned businesses. So while there were some protections earlier under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974 (which made it illegal to deny credit just because of sex or marital status), in practice, banks often still demanded male signatures until the 1988 law closed that loophole and enforced compliance. 👉 In short: before 1988, women often couldn’t get a business loan without a male co-signer — even if the law technically said they should have been able to. In the words of Kim Kardashian “I didn’t come this far, just to come this far!” I graduated in 1990 so this seems like just yesterday to me. I had no idea that women couldn’t obtain their own business loan without a male signature until 1988! Wow!! I’m so proud of us! Let’s keep going… ALL THE WAY💪💯😊