I graduated from HS in 1960, when women went to college mainly to find a husband and learn how to be a good corporate wife. I was offered a full scholarship to an exclusive girls' school in the Midwest; the big attraction at the tea to woo potential attendees was that we would learn how to handle a full tea service. Yikes! I went to a state school full time while working full time, plus helping my mother with fragile infants she fostered--gave up after one term, not because of $$ (full scholarship) or difficulties, but because the emphasis for women was on learning to be a good wife.
By the time my daughter was in HS and had a conflict between honors English and biology, she was told "girls shouldn't take biology." Apparently, the poor empty-headed little things would find it too difficult. Since she planned to be a doctor, she took biology anyway. Discouraged by the amount of debt she'd have by the time she had finished med school, she switched to health care management, which was a new offering in the late 80s...and graduated just as Oregon passed a tax limitation that meant that every public health worker was looking for work.
By the time she was 28, she was an injury claim adjuster (ins.) and was sent to Texas to help settle storm claims. The manager of the office there welcomed her with, "Great, they sent us a typist!" He was chagrined to learn that she was higher up the ladder than he was--in Texas during the 90s, that company had zero female claims adjusters! She found that she had a more difficult time fighting to to her job in Texas than the black fellow from Seattle! Policies were written for "John Smith and wife" and the wife couldn't make any decisions without consulting her husband. My sister, who lives in GA, owns nothing--my brother-in-law has title to everything: it's the GA custom. We still have a long way to go.