Stay-at-home moms are having a tough time getting approved for credit cards after the Card Act bill was passed in to law in 2009.

The law originally was to protect consumers from litigious maneuvers to extract more money by way of fees as well as prevent consumers from racking up too much credit card debt.

Instead, a portion of the law states that one’s individual income must be a factor in determining approval status when applying for credit cards.

This means that a stay-a-home mom with no documented source of income will have a rough time gaining approval from the credit card companies. Even if her spouse has a job, no matter what income they make, the other will have a difficult time in securing a credit card.

In an economy where moms are struggling to balance work life with home life, many moms must stay at home to avoid extraneous expenses such as daycare and nanny fees.

Some moms that have been let go from lucrative careers due to the economic downturn have resorted to staying at home to take care of the children instead of looking for a new position in a job market where it may takes months to find.

On the flip side some dads have been forced to be stay-at-home dads due to the troubling job market. Thus, fathers who have previously been working will have a tougher time obtaining new credit cards without a viable source of income.

One Mom’s Fight

In a petition at Change.org, one mother staged her own fight against the rule.

Holly McCall, a stay at home mom, has received over 30,000 signatures of people who oppose the Card Act rule.

According to CNN, McCall delivered paper copies of the petition to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in Washington, D.C.

McCall’s fight has gained attention from other stay-at-home mothers. Some of who dressed up like housewives of the 1950’s for the event. They feel that the oppressive nature of the Credit Act rule has forced them to ask their husbands for credit card privileges and it reminds them of the 1950’s plight of women and women’s rights.

McCall hopes the petition will be the catalyst for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to amend the Credit Act rule that has demeaned stay-at-home mothers across the nation, according to CNN.

Experts feel that the petitioning of the rule is more about fair access to credit than opposing the Credit Act as a whole. Many consumers understand the other aspects of the Credit Act and how it has protected many consumers from obtaining mountainous debt.

According to CNN, the CFPB is looking into the issue.