This essay will argue why Canada should take a substantive approach to women’s representation in parliament. Having an adequate representation of women in parliament would be a huge turning point for women and allow their voices to be heard. Each woman holds a different view, just like men do. Each gender and person will bring their own view forth and allow for a diverse House. The issue is that women are not getting adequate representation, and therefore are not being able to represent their views. Men have a much larger congregation than women, therefore overpowering the views/ideologies of them. In Canada, everyone strives for equality, and the best place to start is to take a substantive approach to women’s representation in parliament. Women play a huge role in society and are becoming more predominant in parliament as the years progress. The issue? They only represent 38.6% of seats in the upper house/senate (Women in national parliaments, 2016). This is a huge problem considering women make up 50% of Canada’s population. Does that statistic prove that women are not getting adequate representation in parliament? The rights of women need to be addressed, maybe not in parliament, but through representation in numbers in parliament. Women are just as equally qualified for parliamentary jobs as men, and the more that this truth is pushed, the more representation women will get. This truth is only realized by some, as the numbers previously show, but the only way for women
Every woman has the right to moral, legal and political choice. As we look to the past, women fought for the right to be treated the same as men and fundamentally to have the same rights as men. Prior to the turn of the century, women had little to no rights. World War I and II gave way to change, allowing women to work and eventually allowing them to vote. The feminist movement has made drastic progress since the war. Today women are seen as equal and have the right not only to vote, but to be educated. In 1977 the Canadian Human Rights Act ensured that women could no longer be discriminated based on their sex, race, religion or sexuality. The act specified that there must be “equal pay for
When women try to prove what they can do in the society, they are obstructed with societal stereotyping. In the world of politics, it is rare to see a woman hold a post of any political division. The capabilities that women are able to do has always been overlooked by the society and as a result, women, not just in the Canadian politics, but all over the world, have had begun changing these general views towards them. Actions had been taken,
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
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
With women making up approximately 50.2% of the population, you’d think they would have a stronger level of representation in parliament compared to the 29% we grip to with heavy hearts. Yet despite the under-representation and the unwillingness to do something about the issue, women are still trying to overcome the barriers that prevent them from climbing the career ladder offered in the Australian political playing field.
It is also evident that since female and male candidates are equally qualified for political positions and have the same success rate in elections, the gender gap can be explained through the lack of female participation in elections. Many governments, including the Canadian government, have contemplated introducing quota systems to reduce the scope of the gender gap and ensure female representation in parliament. However, in a democratic system, quotas can be viewed as a “violation of liberal democracy” because they favour a specific people group (“50% Population”). The solution, therefore, rests in the hands of the next generation of female leaders. It is up to young, educated women to embrace Virginia Woolf’s parting message in her essay A Room of One’s Own of acquiring “a room of [their] own” (Woolf 4). In other words, young women are faced with the task of developing a sense of independence and having the “habit of freedom and the courage” in order to pursue a career in politics (Woolf 112). Even though there are initiatives in universities aimed prepare women to run for politics such as the She Will Run, it is essential to acknowledge that gender parity in the political environment will not be achieved automatically ("50% Population”). As instructed by Woolf, young women must move past stereotypes, suppress
The more we learn about the history of women’s rights and how their status was viewed within Canadian society, the better our knowledge becomes that women have been prevented from engaging in an equal role in the country’s economy. Social equality is the idea in which all persons have the same opportunities, respect, values, social benefits and fundamental liberties. The status of Canadian women has changed dramatically over several decades. Women’s human rights in Canada, which defined their social status, were differentiated by three different periods of time, including women’s rights before the war, during the war, and after the war. Many women were treated horribly before World War One however war in general, particularly World War One,
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.
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
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
Female representation is impediment for Political matters and topics regarding women decided by the Federal Government. For example, in 2006, female Senators from all main parties united and supported a bill to change legislation on the abortion pill, removing the Health Minister Tony Abbott’s right to retain the veto on the introduction of the
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.
Since the Second World War, the functions and responsibilities of women in Canadian society has significantly changed. This societal shift has been considerably perceptible in one of Canada’s finest institutions; the military. Today, Canada is a global front-runner in military gender integration, excelling with regards to both the proportion of women in its military - currently around 14.8% of combined Regular and Reserve Force personnel - as well as in the roles in which they can serve.
It’s astonishing, honestly, that so many can lead themselves to believe this when there is so much evidence of inequality among women. The United Nations defines 30% as the minimal, necessary amount of women in government to express the concerns of women (The Federation of Canadian Municipalities). Zero percent of U.S. Presidents have been female. As of January 2013, 18.5% of Congress, 20% of Senators, and 18.2% of Representatives are women in the U.S. government (National Women’s Political Caucus). The percentage of past female Prime Ministers in Canada is 0.05%. 24.6% of Canada’s current House of Commons, 36.1% of Canada’s Senate, and 26.3% of the Federal Cabinet consists of women (Equal Voice). Also, only 16% of Canada’s mayors are women, and 26% are municipal councillors (Federation of Canadian Municipalities). How could anybody not see the misrepresentation of women when it is ever so