SEXUAL DISCRIMINATION IN ACQUIRING CREDIT.

This article focuses on the sexual discrimination in acquiring credit. American women have traditionally faced numerous barriers in obtaining credit, such as needing a male cosigner for a loan or having a wife's income excluded from consideration when a married couple makes a loan application. The ultimate discrimination involves widowed women who frequently find they cannot obtain a charge account in their own name but that stores will happily continue accounts in the name of their husband even if he has been dead for years. To test the claims of discrimination a simple practical test was designed. First, two interested credit applicants were located, one male and one female, with very similar personal, financial, and living situations. Both were young, single, and employed at the same State government agency in the same position. They had similar credit backgrounds, paid the same rent, had no substantial savings and no dependents. Credit applications were obtained from 16 area retail outlets, including department stores, clothing stores, and oil companies. The applicants truthfully filled out the credit questionnaires and submitted them by mail with the intention of actually using some of the credit cards if approved. Results found that the male applicant approved for credit by 12 of the 16 companies while the female was accepted by only two.