Grace Lockhart: The Oppression Of Canadian Women

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

Being born in Barbados in 1943 has given Senator Anne Clare Cools, a cultural background which she has retained even when she moved to Montreal at the age of 13. Cools was introduced to politics at an early age with both of her parents being involved in the government. Her father, Lucius Cools, ran for the Barbados Labour Party in 1938 while her mother was a small plantation owner. As a young adult, she attended McGill University studying sociology and psychology. Furthermore, in 2004, she was named one of the top 100 greatest Canadians of all time and one of the top 20 greatest Canadian women of all time.

Since the 19th Century, women in Canada have fought political, legal, and social battles to find their place in Canadian society. From starting out in small, local organizations, to legal battles in the Supreme Court, Canadian women have come a long way. Unfortunately, it took a long time for many people to adapt to the changing roles of women, which made women still feel unequal compared to men. It is really striking to think that at one point society questioned if women could even be considered persons, just a small sample of the many changes women had to face through the course of history. This paper will analyze these changes experienced by Canadian women in that time period and how it affected their everyday lives.

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

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;

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

This is true for not only the politician aspect of Canada, but many others as well. “In 1974, women accounted for 34% of Canada’s labour force.” (4 NELLIE BOOK) In terms of politics, “In recent years women have achieved major political positions such as Speakers of the House of Commons, Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada (Louise Charron), Governor General of Canada (Michaelle Jean), Kim Campbell (Canada’s first, and to date female prime minister), and many more.” (5 NELLIE). After all of these achievements, there were many events held by the Canadian government,” some of the latest events that honoured the accomplishments of the Famous Five and their Person’s Case were: The Famous Five monument unveiling at Parliament Hill in Ottawa (1999), the 75th anniversary of the Person’s case was commemoration (2004), and the Bank of Canada unveiling a new $50 bill that showcases the five women (2004).” (6 ABHER) In terms of the future, Canadian women still have a very long way to go. They have established respect for themselves, but still have many more things they need to be able to achieve in order for them to be considered equal to men, and share the same privileges.“The visual of a woman running, whether it’s for vice president or president,

In 1929 a major achievement was accomplished by the ``famous 5`` for canadian women. They achieved having women defined as an actual person according to the BNA act. Having this victory was a huge step for not just Canadian women but for women all over the world. This also allowed women to be themselves and live outside of the house and kitchen. It allowed them to dream big. For example in 1922 Martha Bowes was first Canadian women radio broadcaster. In 1928 Canada's olympic team allowed women for the first time. Finally in 1951, Canada`s first equal pay legislation between men and women was created by

Women comprise just 26 per cent of politicians currently elected to the House of Commons. Only three Premiers are women and municipally, only 28% of city councillors are women and 18% of mayors. Canada is ranked a distant 63rd in the world on the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s list of Women in National Parliaments.

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

Our society has the belief that women have always been portrayed as weak, emotional, and powerless. Throughout this article by Tavia Grant, it shows how women do not get the same opportunities men receive. Statistically shown, women are still earning less money than men regardless to the amount of education they possess (Grant). Women are accepted to hold obligations regarding family tasks while the men do the providing in the family. The article shows the disadvantages women have in Canada compared to men, however, it also shows gender inequality and gender discrimination.

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

In addition to the gap in political involvement there are numerous evident inequalities for Canadian women that stress the need to continue the feminist movement. The Canadian human rights