RBG & Equitable Money Laws

Nov 2

By Michelle Zive & Jen Lightwood | December 1, 2020

Just 50 years ago, women were basically considered possessions of men, until a 5’1” revolutionary woman, named Ruth Bader Ginsburg, fought for women to have the legal power to forge their own financial destinies.

The right to apply and hold a credit card or get a loan. Until the mid-1970s, married women were denied credit cards or loans. For single women, it was almost impossible to “build” credit. Enter RBG, who was instrumental in developing and fighting for the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974. The act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, or age in credit transactions. This Act meant the legal end of a woman needing the consent or co-signature of a male relative.

The right to lease an apartment or house or apply/obtain a mortgage. Once again RBG championed this cause. Her strategy was to fight against decades of discrimination. Tirelessly, she wrote letters to the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) and co-founded the Women’s Rights Project, where she defended hundreds of women in anti-discrimination cases.

The right to reproductive choices and employment. With attorney Susan Deller Ross, RBG helped pass the Pregnancy Act of 1978. This act not only prevented discrimination against pregnant women, it empowered women to earn their own money, have their own checking accounts, build their own savings, and make their own investment choices.

The right to be the executor of their children’s estates. In the 1971 case of Reed v. Reed, RBG challenged the Idaho law requiring courts to assign a man to be the administrator of a child’s estate. RBG argued that if there was a qualified woman to perform the task, she should be considered. RBG used the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to make this argument.

RBG played an instrumental role to obliterate the belief that men are breadwinners and women are dependents based on her personal experience with discrimination as a working Jewish mother in a male-dominated field. While considerable progress has been made since the 70s, the current employment landscape does not yet reflect equality in pay. Today, women are worth about 81 cents on the dollar compared to men. That means we must continue to speak up for ourselves and each other.

On that note, it is important to acknowledge those who claim RBG was “attached to her whiteness” and supported “settler colonialism.” Her record regarding Native Americans was mixed; yet her opinions became increasingly more embracive over time. As a Harvard/Columbia graduate, RBG was deeply indoctrinated in “white constructs” that have formed the US education system.

Conversely, RBG was well aware that the Constitution was written for “property owners,” which definitively left out the majority of “We the people.” In fact, the word “equal” was not introduced to the Constitution until the 14th Amendment. May we all continue to challenge our beliefs stemmed from deep, deliberate conditioning around “ownership” and “possessions” when it comes to each other, “our” planet and… “our” money.

Michelle (Dr. Z) Zive, PhD

Michelle Zive, PhD is a warrior, mom, and suburban-hippie. She has a PhD in leadership, and is committed to increasing representation of those who have been marginalized and who are voiceless and invisible. Michelle has worked in academia, with emphasis in community health, for over 30 years. She is a writer of just about anything except technical writing.

I am the activator of Representation Rebellion, a diverse community aware of the polarization, hate, and othering in our world. We change this through images, storytelling, and vulnerable, brave conversations. The bottom line: to raise all voices and tell all stories. ONWARD!