When & why did women start wearing pants?

 WHEN I GREW UP AND UNTIL ABOUT THE TIME I WAS MARRIED....WOMEN DID

NOT WEAR PANTS!

BEFORE THE MIDDLE OF THE 1900'S WOMEN WERE TECHNICALLY NOT

ALLOWED TO WEAR PANTS BECAUSE IT WAS A MASCULINE ITEM AND THEY

WERE  LOOKED DOWN UPON IF THEY EVERY TRIED TO WEAR THEM!    IT

WASN'T UNTIL AROUND THE TIME OF WORLD WAR II THAT WOMEN BEGAN

WEARING TROUSERS.   EVEN THEN IT WAS NOT WIDELY ACCEPTED.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HELPED BRING ON A CHANGE IN ATTIRE WAS

THAT DURING WORLD WAR II WHILE THE MEN WERE FIGHTING THE WAR IN

EUROPE, THE  WOMEN WERE PRODUCING THE STUFF NEEDED FOR THE WAR. 

DRESSES AND SKIRTS DID NOT OFFER ENOUGH PROTECTION FOR THE WOMEN

WORKING IN FACTORIES  AND WOMEN BEGAN WEARING PANTS AT WORK.  IT

MADE IT EASIER FOR THEM TO MOVE AROUND AND DO THEIR JOBS.  BUT EVEN

THEN PANTS WERE ONLY ACCEPTABLE IN THE WORKPLACE! 

AFTER THE WAR THINGS WENT BACK TO  WHERE THEY WERE BEFORE.

LADIES WERE EXPECTED TO WEAR DRESSES AT ALL TIMES

IN THE 1960'S FEMINIST MOVEMENTS BEGAN AND THEY CAUSED THE

EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT TO BE PASSED!  SINCE EVERYONE WAS

SUPPOSED TO BE EQUAL IT FINALLY BECAME ACCEPTABLE FOR WOMEN TO

WEAR PANTS IN PUBLIC!

IN 1961 AUDREY HEPBURN WORE PANTS IN A MOVIE CALLED

BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S.   IT WAS A VERY DARING

THING TO DO AT THAT TIME!  SEEING HER IN THAT PICTURE

WAS ONE OF THE  THINGS  THAT INFLUENCED WOMEN TO DECIDE TO

START WEARING PANTS AS A REGULAR PART OF THEIR ATTIRE!

IN THE 1960'S A DESIGNER NAMED ANDRE COURREGES STARTED TO

MAKE JEANS FOR WOMEN.

SOME OTHER INTERESTING THINGS IN THE TIME LINE...

IN 1969 REP. CHARLOTTE READ  (R-ILL.)BECAME THE FIST WOMAN TO WEAR

PANTS IN THE U.S. CONGRESS!

IN 1989 CALIFORNIA STATE SENATOR, REBECCA MORGAN,

WAS THE FIRST WOMAN TO WEAR PANTS IN A U.S. STATE SENATE!

WELL....PARDON ME WHILE I GO GET DRESSED AND PUT ON MY PANTS!