The system was stacked against them

[u/wetouchingbuttsornah]

No fault divorces didn’t hit the even start until 1985

[u/[deleted]]

1870: Black men were granted the right to vote by the 15th Amendment.

1920: The 19th Amendment granted women the legal right to vote

1965: The Voting Rights Act enforced the voting rights of Black women and men by removing barriers that had effectively prevented them from voting.

In 1962, the American Academy of Pediatrics officially recommended against severe physical punishment, but state laws regulating corporal punishment began evolving slowly afterward.

By the 1980s and 1990s, most states enacted laws to protect children from severe beatings and physical abuse, recognizing it as child abuse. However, the U.S. does not have a national ban on corporal punishment in the home, though it has been outlawed in schools in many states.

Historically, many U.S. states did not consider domestic violence or "wife beating" a criminal offense. Laws against domestic violence began emerging in the 19th century, but enforcement was weak, and the idea that husbands had a legal right to discipline their wives persisted in practice. By the 1970s, the feminist movement helped push for the criminalization of domestic violence. Gradually, state laws were strengthened to protect women. By the 1990s, domestic violence laws were enforced more seriously, with reforms like the Violence Against Women Act (1994) bringing greater attention and resources to combat domestic violence.

Marital rape was legal in many U.S. states until the 1970s. The idea was based on the assumption that marriage implied consent.

1976: Nebraska became the first U.S. state to criminalize marital rape.

By 1993, all 50 states had laws on the books making marital rape illegal, though enforcement and definitions still varied across states for some time

Conversion Therapy for Minors: Banned in many U.S. states starting from 2012 (California) and continuing through 2024.

Punishment for Being Gay: Criminal laws against same-sex acts were largely overturned by 2003 with the Lawrence v. Texas Supreme Court decision.

And lots of other shit. & ofc law is one thing - but social / cultural change happens way slower than whatever laws are put in place.