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. …show more content…
They also have the ultimate power to decide what is newsworthy and what is too ordinary to even be considered as news. This power also tends to scrutinize women on the basis of their behaviour or their appearance instead of merely focussing on their platforms. In the 2015 election, the media covered the “Leaders Debate” (Munk Debate) that consisted of political leaders disputing on public issues asked by Canadian citizens. It is likely that within a debate one will see their political leader act in a competitive manner, however, those leaders are men (being Justin Trudeau, Stephen Harper and Tom Mulcair) and because they are of that gender, it is justified for them to act as so. Although, if the media were to cover the same leader’s debate with a change, in that it consisted of all female politicians acting competitively, this debate would then instantaneously become newsworthy and/or viral. The central reasoning behind this is that it is “unexpected” or “surprising” for a women to behave in such a way because if they “acted combatively, they would then be violating deeply held notions of how women should behave” (Gidengil, 2003, p. 567). The media also focuses on the fashion sense of female politicians much more than their political platforms and their stances on current issues, which would not be the case for men. This is because the media generates stereotypes which shows men to be “effective, aggressive and strong leaders, while women are represented as “gentle, warm, stylish and weak leaders” (BLIGH, 2012, p. 565). The media is also inclined to present women as being incompetent in comparison to their male opposition simply because of the stereotypes given to both genders by society, for instance, saying that women are not the ideal leaders that are capable of running a nation. The view of women “not being ready” is because
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
Canada is identified for its sincere generosity that has presented its entire people the privileges to deliberate themselves in several methods. When relating to more unlucky nations, Canada has obtained the Canadian women the chance and freedom to select whichever profession of their choice. Yet, due to societal customs, women typically acknowledge conflicts, that are depressingly estimated upon by the society and are not clearly recognized into careers that are well thought out as men-orientated. Social customs existing in the Canadian culture, generated obstacles in the society of what professions are customary for women and what careers are recognized for men, which makes a key matter of woman acknowledgment in the political parties. Canada overpowers a succession of debatable subjects concerning femininity correspondence, which directed Canadian culture to improve their opinions. As civilization's interpretations rationalized, it carried numerous optimistic modifications concerning gender societal means through the years, such as the recognition of women to participate in the political parties.. Although, in Canadian politics, it is often seen the lack of contribution women make to the political community. Even though, women are as capable as men to participate in Canadian politics, women in Canadian politics are usually looked down upon due to the historical gender views within society, gender inequality that differentiates between the abilities of between both genders
Through in depth analysis of the Canadian Conservative Government, author Brianna Strumm showcases the overwhelming evidence of gender inequality occurring under Stephen Harper’s rule in her article Women in Harperland. This article raises questions in the areas of government, sexist discrimination in social infrastructure and the workplace, and the conservative views on women. I will analyze these questions and offer my own personal opinions on the content, amount of detail used, and whether or not the arguments made are beneficial to the article. Strumm takes a firm liberal stance on each issue presented, providing statistics and circumstances for each of her arguments. The strong evidence and even stronger point of view is crucial to the
Throughout this course, we learn that women’s studies originated as a concerned at the time that “women and men noticed the absence, misrepresentation, and trivialization of women [in addition to] the ways women were systematically excluded from many positions of power and authority” (Shaw, Lee 1). It has always been known that in the past, men have had more privilege than women. Women have battled for centuries against certain patterns of inadequacy that all women experience. Every culture and customs have divergent female identities, however this does not hinder the fact that many of these cultures are based on patriarchal past where men hold more rights than women. Canadian women have sought to overcome these stereotypes and have managed to gain a position of near equality. This was
Overall, the representation of elected women now stands at about 25 % at each level of government, including on municipal councils, in provincial/territorial legislatures and at federal level. (Parliament of Canada, 2016) With this significant gender parity in politics, the paper examines the causes of the under-representation of Canadian women in politics. Findings are based on scholarly articles and their analyzed data on why do fewer Canadian women run for political office. When taken together, the results presented in this paper argues that (1) unwelcoming environment (women and family unfriendly working environment) with lack of support in political engagement, (2) women’s experience of exclusion, paternalism and systemic discrimination in political realm, and (3) media’s portrayal of women as to be marginalized by the society are what cause Canadian women to be under-represented in politics. Finally, the paper raises an interesting question from the topic of gender disparity into further discussion of the discrimination within discriminated group women other than those privileged ones who are likely to be selected in public
Today, women in Canada don't need to second-think when standing in line, ready to cast their vote. But, that was not the case 100 years ago. Back in the 1920s, women had little rights and were not even considered “persons” (The Persons Case ). Women's suffrage in Canada was a long struggle which Canadian women fought for, even before the start of World War I. But their persistence and determination is what lead to women winning their suffrage. Women strongly stood beside their demand for the right to vote before the start of war, during the hardships of the World War I, and after the war ended, which leads to the forever lasting impacts on women's rights in today's society.
This speech drastically enhances women’s status by drawing government’s attention, which enforces women’s equality and human rights both domestically and internationally. In fact, more women are employed year by year. In 2009, over 8.1 million women were employed in Canada, which is double the number of women employed three decades ago; in 2009, 28% of the women aged 25 to 54 have a bachelor or postgraduate university degree in Canada, which is more than double the proportion twenty years ago. Although there is still a long way to go for women to be truly treated equally, Clinton’s speech in 1995 definitely gave an initiating
The first reason that shows that Canada has become a “just society” is the changes to women’s legal rights. Since the 1970s, many women have stepped up to the work of politics. Several instances include Kim Campbell, the first woman to become the prime minister of Canada,1 Kathleen Wynne, the first premier of Canada to be lesbian,2 Beverley McLachlin, the “first female chief of justice of the Supreme Court of Canada,”3 and Catherine Callbeck, the second female provincial premiere and first woman to win
With her strong stance on gender inequalities in Canada, Strumm has an excellent ability to communicate her ideologies as to what should be improved in our society. In her abstract paragraph, she outlines her main argument as well as her suggestion for improving gender equalities in Canada. This immediately indicates that the purpose of the paper is to point out the specific cases of inequality regarding “pay inequity, precarious employment options, income splitting, social infrastructures… and lastly, violence against women.” (99, Strumm, 2015) By indicating this at the beginning, Strumm allows for the reader to be made aware of the initial point that she will prove using the various sub points scattered throughout the article. In my opinion,
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
Through the Contemporary Women’s Issues in Canada course, various topics related to gender inequality were discussed. Due to a long history, of sexism and misogyny in many aspects of Canadian society, outdated behaviours and thoughts have prevailed in many aspects of society. Three main topics that are central to achieving gender equality are gendered violence, gender roles and socialization, and child care.
Gender inequality has been a long part of Canada’s history with men being the dominant decision makers. Women have had to fight long hard battles and overcome numerous obstacles to prove themselves and demonstrate that they are equal to men and not inferior. Over the course of a century women have achieved suffrage and have become increasingly visible in the political and economic sectors. Despite all the achievements women have made barriers remain in effect leaving women at a social, economic and political disadvantage even in the twenty-first century. The primary obstacles in achieving gender equality are the noticeable absence of women in authoritative economic and political positions, unfair social stereotypes that are still
Society sees men with the traits that display more stronger and dominant attitudes that is left women to be in the shadow. Women having a lower income compared to men are not because they work fewer hours, and it is not because they have a lower education level as well (Grant). This shows patriarchy where it revolves around a power system that is organized around the dominance of men. “Even with all of these factors are considered, the result remains the same: a wage gap” (Grant). During the election, it was shown that the majority of the elected members were men (Taber). The results were that 88 out of 338 MPs have been elected into the federal office (Taber), which shows that society does not give many women the opportunity to be
Throughout nursing history in Canada, nursing was considered a woman’s job. This view changed after the Second World War when men were encouraged to enter the nursing profession. While the views of men in nursing have shifted over time, it is still a female dominated career. (Canadian Muslim of History, 2018). Only six percent of registered nurses in Canada are male (Canadian Institute for Health Information, 2011).
Stereotypically, men are considered better than women in every aspect naturally, politics included; also women not enable to make decisions in society (Clover, McGregor, Farrell, & Pant, 2011, p. 21). These stereotypes might be unfair, but they have left an impression still visible today. Research conducted in 2009 by Statistics Canada shows, only 21.1% of provincial and federal government is made up of women, and only slightly more than 25% in the local governments (Clover, et al., 2011, p. 20). This percentage of women might sound like a lot, but when put the numbers all together; there are only a few women. There was only one woman to be elected Prime Minister of Canada. That just shows how rare it is for women to hold a position in Canadian Government. Sometimes, women can bring a different perspective to political meetings. Slowly,