Analysis of the Mens Movement in Canada Essay

Imagine a nation where half of the populace is treated with the same respect as animals. A nation where the audacity of woman was suppressed in the face of political and socio-economical decisions. This very nation was Canada in the Laurier Era. As hard as it may be to believe this punitive truth, but the liberal values that Canada possesses now were most definitely not innate. Instead, they were built through a myriad of events with World War I definitely being the foremost of them all. World War I truly had a profound impact upon the history of women's right in Canada and aided in the creation of equality between the two genders. The ruthless and arduous toiling of women and their role in preserving Canada’s economic situation gave rise to

“We may yet live to see that day when women will no longer be news. And it cannot come too soon. I want to be a peaceful, happy, normal human being, pursuing my unimpeded way through life, never having to explain, defend, or apologize for my sex” (Nellie McClung, 1929). Throughout most of history, men have had greater rights than women. In present days, the equality between men and women have improved, despite the fact that some countries are still striving to establish those same rights for both genders. What impact did Nellie McClung make on Canadian society? She is a perfect example of a Canadian social activist who advocated for the rights of women throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. In this essay, I will examine the depictions of the fight for suffrage and the stand for electoral office, in addition to the contribution of the Famous 5 and the type of feminism she represented in order to demonstrate the impact and influence she had as a Canadian woman.

The 1920s were a brutal time for Canada and most countries in the world. The Great War had just ended and soldiers were coming home to no work and minimal food. While the male soldiers were gone fighting the war, females took their place in factories, manufacturing war equipment and doing regular work that normally men would do. When the surviving soldiers came back, they were furious and wanted work to make money so most of the women were kicked out and replaced by the men. Women were obviously not happy about this and fought to make a change. One of the most notable feminists and successful female suffragists in Canadian history is Emily Murphy. She fought alongside four other feminists to create equal legal recognition as males and succeeded;

After the French Revolution, the feminist movements have raised against domination of men and patriarchal society in Europe. There is no equality for women in the common world. Many Canadian women come out of their homes to work as an effect of First and Second World War. During the Second Wave Feminist Movement in 1970s, feminist writing in Canada starts to emerge and plays an active role in attacking the patriarchal society. Women have started raising their voice against domestic violence and for their rights. Canadian women also have fought for peace in the country and environmental issues. Aparna Basu states

According to Connell, masculinity in of itself does not discuss 'men ' but discusses gender order, and men 's position within that order. Masculinities can also be defined as the patterns of practice by which people (men and women, but predominantly men) engage that position. (Connell 2005) Masculinities within themselves can change based on their participants and actions relating to their culture and society. In Canada and the United States in particular, there is an emphasized push for hyper-masculinity. It is a term used to describe the “exaggeration of traditionally masculine traits or behaviour.” (Collins Dictionary 2014) Men and boys are pushed towards achieving this goal of the ultimate male where “being a so-called 'real man ' means you have to take on this 'tough guise '.” (Katz et al. 1999)

After reviewing Chapter 3 and the images provided I can not identify anyone specific but I do believe the images are from a time in history when women were fighting to have equal rights with men. The topic of women’s suffrage in Canada was brought up briefly in past history classes but was never fully explained or explored. Just the basics were touched upon such as, the fact that at one time women were denied many of, if not all, the rights men had.

Although Canada is an advanced country full of opportunities, it has yet to fight some of its largest issues. Women in Canada are still victims of gender inequality. Women have been facing a patriarchal stance in society for as long as they can remember, but it goes beyond just patriarchy. These women are living in conditions which could be viewed as inhumane. In 1991, The Canadian Women’s Foundation was formed and they took a stance enforcing women’s equality. Women face poverty, violence in various ways such as; physical, emotional, and financial, they are viewed nothing more than just sex objects used to sell products to the public, and women are discouraged from working at the same

Statistics Canada shows that women make up of 50.4% (2010) of Canada’s collective population, however, only 25.3 % of those women are situated in the House of Commons (Women, 2015). Why would this be the case? Canadian women have suffered for a long time now regarding the concern that not only dictated history but has also harshly influenced today’s society, which is the social gap between men and women. It is arguable that this gap has prevented women from the ability to seek their highest potential due to the lack of recognition they would receive, mainly because of their gender. Women have been stigmatized in society as being inferior to men in many aspects of life, such as, “not being as intelligent or as strong as men” even if they are.

Almost a year ago, Canada was premised on a conservative government that centered on protecting and upholding traditional laws and values. Now, we are transitioning from conservatism to liberalism. The Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, stresses the need for equality, specifically gender equality that is a key element of liberalism. Gender equality advocates for same sex marriage, anti-discrimination laws as well empowering marginalized groups including the Indigenous people and women. Women in particular, have been in a disadvantaged position even before laws were made. Society has deemed women unequal to men, thereby excluding them from participating in important matters such as running for public office, legislating laws or even as simple as having an opinion. Conservatism solidified the patriarchal society, thus rendering women incompetent and irrelevant. However, with the change in administration comes the change in ideology. Unlike conservatism, liberalism welcomes and accepts change. A key platform of liberalism is women’s empowerment and this has been established through the creation of SlutWalk. SlutWalk is a protest movement that emerged in Toronto, Canada following the remark of police officer, Constable Michael Sanguinetti. In January 2011, Constable Sanguinetti made the statement that “Women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized” (Toronto Star, 2011). His tactless remarks earned national and international outrage, from

Gender inequality, by definition, refers to “unequal treatment or perceptions of individuals wholly or partly due to their genders” (Wikipedia, 2017). Canada has progressed towards gender equality in multiple aspects; however, there are many areas within Canada in which women are still oppressed due to their gender. For instance, Canadian women in the work force are treated unequally in contrast to men in regards to opportunity, advancement, and salary. It is due to lack of equality within the work field that Canada still requires feminism.

Throughout history, Canada’s identity has changed in many ways and there have been many historical events that have greatly shaped and impacted Canada’s history and identity. The Women’s Movement and women’s contribution in the past and throughout history has had the greatest impact on shaping Canada into what it is today. Among many identifying qualities like being multicultural, bilingual, and world leaders, Canada is also country that has changed immensely in the way of becoming a country that has learned to accept women, move towards providing them with equal opportunities and treating them equally. Through economic, social and political movements and actions, the contribution from women and the women’s movement have increased, changed and improved women’s rights and equality greatly. Women worked to create independence and equality economically through their contributions to war on the homefront in WWI resulting in greater workplace equality, socially through the actions of the Flappers in the 1920’s giving women currently, the confidence and strength that they need to speak up, and politically, through the work of the Suffragists including the Famous 5 to allow women to have the same political rights as men.

Today, Canada is known around the world as a cultural mosaic. As a nation it welcomes people of both sexes with all different beliefs, cultures, and religions. Creating a mature nation would require promoting equality of opportunity to all and giving help to those who were disadvantaged. However, Canada has not always been a welcoming and mature nation. In the past, women were not allowed to vote alongside men or run for political positions, due to the fact that they were not considered “persons”. As well, Aboriginal children were stipped from their homes, families, and identities so that they could assimilate all First Nations people. During the last century, women have gained more political rights, gained more respect from society, and

I like how your started your argument towards the women’s right movement. I think our society forget that it took 72 years for women to have voting rights. It’s incredible to learn that they didn’t give up and kept trying without their great success. I don’t think women’s lives would be the way they are today without the women’s rights movement. What women fought for then was higher education and medical profession, equal pay and protective legislation for women workers. These days feminism movement is still fighting for many causes such as equal pay, glass ceiling, social equality, and violence against women. We live in a world that masculinity and femininity is advertised so much. Needless, to say if we don’t fall into the category

Terms such as ‘menist’ and ‘meninism’ have become popularized through social media and online forums within the last few years. Theses terms denote a semi-satirical gender equality and men’s rights movement that voices concern over the way men are ‘victimized’ by modern-day feminism. Although, meninism and its association with men right activist groups (MRAs) is not typically well received within feminist circles, this movement is a part of the larger men’s liberation movement that has been ongoing since the early 1970s. Granted that this movement has been going on for some time, it has picked up steam in recent years due to the accessibility to the internet. Today, the many websites that support a menist agenda are vocal about issues related

As feminism has emerged in popular media in recent years, another gender movement has similarly become visible. This movement is called Men’s Rights Activism (MRA), also commonly known as meninism. Feminism and meninism have both been given a strong negative connotation by the media, often representing them with the image of an outspoken, somewhat radical, advocate. Gender and Women’s Studies classes have shined a light on how this does not fully encompass what feminism represents. In present day, feminism can be seen as positive and uplifting by many people, not just women, yet meninism has barely been mentioned other than in an unfavorable manner. Is MRA really such a negative movement, founded on hate? Analysis of its creation and how