Fifty Years After Women Won the Right to Open a Bank Account, Female Invest Took Over the Streets of London

Yesterday marked a milestone that’s almost unbelievable to say out loud: it has only been 50 years since women in the UK were legally allowed to open a bank account, apply for a mortgage, or get a credit card without a man’s signature.

To honour that anniversary, we at Female Invest took over a public square in London with a simple idea: fifty chairs, one for every year since the 1975 Sex Discrimination Act.

No stage, no speeches - just a circle of chairs, each covered in cream fabric and topped with a bright pink nameplate.

History, made visible.

And from morning to evening, people came.

A Milestone That’s Easy to Miss - Until You Stand Among the Chairs

The 1975 Act didn’t just change one rule; it rewrote the basics of women’s daily lives.

It gave women the right to:

• Open their own bank accounts
• Apply for credit or a credit card without a male co-signer
• Take out loans and mortgages
• Be protected from workplace discrimination around hiring, pay and promotion
• Access housing and services on the same terms as men

Most of us think of the 70s as “not that long ago.” But as one woman told us yesterday, with a half-laugh:

“Oh yes, I remember those times. It was impossible to do anything without a man. It was really annoying.”

Hearing it directly from someone who lived it makes the timeline feel different.

Less like “history” - more like something still within arm’s reach.

Throughout the day, we had countless conversations like this.

Some women remembered the restrictions clearly.

Others were shocked that their mothers and grandmothers lived with them.

Many asked the same question: How was this only 50 years ago?

Fifty Chairs, Fifty Women - And Room for Everyone Else

Each chair carried the name of a woman who has helped move gender equality forward:

Sallie Krawcheck. Emma Watson. Gisèle Pelicot, and many more.

But at the centre of the installation, we placed something a little different - blank nameplates. Anyone was welcome to write their name to show support.

By midday, the centre was filled with signatures from women, men, students, tourists, parents, teenagers - people who simply wanted to add their voice.

It was one of our favourite parts of the day.

Why We Took to the Streets

We created this installation because we wanted something people could walk into - a moment that didn’t just tell the story, but made it feel real.

As Anna-Sophie Hartvigsen, Co-Founder of Female Invest, said:

“It’s easy to think of the 1970s as ancient history. But when your mother or grandmother needed her husband’s signature to open a bank account, that’s not history - that’s the world we were born into.”

And as she also reminded us:

“Progress doesn’t move unless we push it forward.”

We believe that, too.

There’s been real progress. Like the fact that young women in the UK today are twice as likely as men to buy a home on their own.

But we also know that only 33% of UK homeowners are women overall, and women still hold far less wealth.

The point isn’t to be discouraged.

It’s to stay awake to the work still ahead.

A Day of Conversations, Curiosity and Connection

What stood out most yesterday wasn’t the installation itself. It was the people.

Crowds gathered all day. Women shared stories. Men asked thoughtful questions. A few mothers brought daughters and used the chairs as a mini history lesson.

It felt less like an art piece, and more like a shared moment of reflection, one that was overdue.

And that was exactly the goal: to take a milestone that usually passes quietly, and give people a space to notice it.

Fifty Years Later, We’re Still Moving Forward

The chairs will be packed away, but the conversations they sparked won’t be.

Yesterday reminded us how far we’ve come - and how much the next fifty years matter.

At Female Invest, we’ll keep pushing for the world we want our daughters (and sons) to grow up in: one where financial equality isn’t a milestone, but a given.

And we’re grateful to everyone who stopped, talked, signed their name, or simply took a moment to reflect with us.

Sometimes progress starts with a conversation. Yesterday, London had a lot of them.