For centuries, women have been seen as lesser than men: the stereotype that females are the “weaker sex” barred them from opportunities to be seen as equal to men. Many believed that a woman should be relegated to domestic roles; jobs that were seen as too “soft” and feminine for a man to do. Women in Canada were not exempt from this expectation that the only job they should have was in the home. While this viewpoint is antiquated and restrictive towards women, it held merit in that women were the ones who stayed at home for generations while the men went out to work. However, the 20th century ushered in a new era for working women. Over the last century, women have proven their integral role in the Canadian workforce. Canadian women have …show more content…
The pains and dangers they have endured in our defence give them the right to expect it” (46). The arrival of the Great Depression in the 1930s did nothing to lessen this sentiment. Due to the lack of jobs as a result of the Depression, women’s jobs were not seen as a priority, in fact, in a reply to a letter written in 1936 to the National Employment Commission, the Commissioner wrote that “[Women] have a lot of rights in good times, when there is lots of employment,” in an attempt to justify the takeover of women’s jobs (87). Once again, women were being edged out of the workforce. Society ignored the contributions they made during the war and their worth as workers, instead impressing upon them the role of the homemaker that women were trying to move away from. During the 1940s women were sequestered into a role of submissiveness and domesticity, both at home and in the workplace. Post World War II Canada promoted the dream of domestic bliss to boost the economy. Women were expected to be stay-at-home mothers while the men were the breadwinners. The Canadian magazine ‘Chatelaine’ …show more content…
During the ‘50s and ‘60s, girls were encouraged and expected to marry and have a family. It was during this time period that women’s employment became of less importance to those wanting to recover and rebuild their lives after the war. An ad for International Sterling depicted the similarities between a graduation and a marriage for young women. The ad said, “ Somewhere there’ll be another June - another white dress, another aisle” (114). It is a reflection of the expectation for girls to finish school and get married. Another ad in ‘Seventeen’ magazine for hope chests has the pitch, “Some special occasion is surely coming up soon - your birthday, graduation, engagement perhaps…” (121) Despite the opinion of the majority being against women working, there were still those who fought for women’s rights, especially in the workforce. In 1967, the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada was established to attend to issues that concerned women, which included their problems regarding employment (145). The Commission’s recommendations included that “‘gender’ and ‘marital status’ be prohibited grounds for discrimination by employers”, that “two qualified women from each province be appointed to the Senate”, and that “the federal government name more women judges to all courts within their jurisdiction” (145). This invigoration for the women’s employment movement
The government and the general populace realized how hard the woman had worked for the sake of Canada, and this earned woman the respect that they had longed for from the general populace and the government. Furthermore, this very sense of respect was proved when the government under Prime Minister Borden approved the War measures act on September 20, 1917(“Woman’s right to vote in Canada”). This very act was a prime gesture from the Canadian government that illustrated how winning the respect of the people resulted in the destruction of the misogynistic sentiments of that era. Furthermore, many historians regard the “War Times Act” as a gesture that was carried out in order to acknowledge the efforts that women had done in order to aid in the war(“Suffrage in Canada”). As said previously, woman raised funds for war, they volunteered as nurses overseas, worked endless hours in factories in order to build munitions, and provided countless other services for the benefit of the economy and the government. Moreover, they simultaneously kept their families together,”while men went overseas”(“Woman get the vote”), and kept war efforts moving through funds raised by various non-profit organizations run by women. The government witnessed this and rewarded the services of such woman by granting them the right to vote. Furthermore, the fact the government wanted to integrate women into the Canadian political system reveals that the long arduous toiling that woman had done for the nation was finally beginning to reap rewards for their own battle for gender equality.. Although, the right to vote was only bestowed upon those who were related to soldiers fighting overseas, it nonetheless
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.
Sexism at work is not the lone way women are discriminated in Canada, since women are also confronted with biased clothing rules. In modern day society, a woman is encouraged to dress in provocative attire, is given restrictions in what she wears, and is notified that wearing clothes that shows one’s shoulders is inappropriate, which remains the contrary for men. To start off, female students are not permitted to wear certain attire at school as it is claimed to distract their male classmates. For example, a 16 year-old female, attending a public high school in London, Ontario, “was called to the principal’s office and told to cover up, for wearing a grey skirt and black and turquoise top” ('They were sexualizing my outfit': Toronto students). The fact that an
While social change has brought on more changes than what women are a custom too, at one point in history women actually felt a form of importance in fulfilling their roles not only in the home; but outside as well. “These demographic shifts account for many new or altered roles, such as increased number of duel-earner families, later and fewer marriages, fewer children, increased life expectancy, and the massive migration shifting employees across a nation and across the globe” (Lindsey, 2011, pg. 275).
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
Canadian women were being urged to stay at home and support soldiers by manufacturing various goods, because of their fragile and emotional personas. Considering how many men had left Canada to fight in the war, women had to adapt and take on new roles. These new diverse roles crossed many social norms and encompassed a whole variety of industries.
Considering the relatively extensive rights women have gained in the past century, this investigation will provide an in-depth analysis of what rights have truly been gained, at what pace, when and to what extent, specifically in regards to Canadian women in the labor force. Therefore, the question as to “How did World War II affect Women’s Rights in the Labor Force of Canada?” will be investigated by first representing three sources (all scholarly articles), "Women and Income Security in the Post-War Period: The Case of Unemployment Insurance, 1945-1962" By Ann Porter, "Revisiting Canada 's civilian women during World War II" By Jeff Keshen and “Pick One Intelligent Girl: Employability, Domesticity and the Gendering of Canada 's Welfare State, 1939-1947” By Jennifer Anne Stephen. Anecdotes, statistics and other pertinent evidence will be deduced from each source in order to be presented, and evaluated. Evaluation of each source will include analysis of potential author biases and overall message of the source for readers, as well as an evaluation of the accuracy of the data presented in each source. Consequently, a conclusion will be drawn in order to distinguish the reliability the sources in giving accurate support and evidence to the guiding question.
The main goal of second-wave feminism with regards to women and labour was changing the power structure through legal means to ensure female workers. To begin this movement, a royal commission was called for. The Royal Commission on the Status of Women (RCSW) was created to bring equality to women all over Canada, not just in the workforce. It was needed due to the influx of women at work in the 1960s after large numbers of women stated working in both male and female oriented employment in 1943 due to the Second World War. Many refused to quit their jobs after the war ended and the soldiers returned (Morris, 2013). Although legally allowed to work, it is obvious through widely-known tropes of the time (the good housewife versus bad female labourer) that women were discouraged from working outside the home. Student
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
In the past, WWII and WWI, women were very dominant; they had to take care of their children, do all the chores and also had to cook the food. During WWII, women had to take place for the men (First world war.com). The war changed the life for all Canadian women. When men went to fight, women were called upon to fill their jobs, and this included many jobs that were previously thought of unsuitable for women. Women were called up for war work from March 1941(Women during World War II). The roles of the women were positively impacted by World War II, because they had the potential to re-enter the workforce, control the farms and join the military for the first time. Taking control of the military was tough, but women had shown that they could work together and handle the situation.
Undeniably, the outlook of women in the workforce changed following the advent of World War II. Traditionally, the role of caretaker of the house and home was assigned to the woman. Society and institutions facilitated, accepted and supported this way of thinking and way of life. Working outside the home was considered "a man's job". A woman expressing an interest in being anything other than a homemaker and wife was frowned upon. Accepted was the notion that men are better laborers and a woman could not perform at the same level as a man and therefore are undesirable candidates for work in the office or in factories. When America entered in the Second World War, the role of women as primarily stewards of the home was forever changed. As men answered the call of duty, they left behind a void not only in the hearts of their loved ones but also in the workplace. During this time not only were vacancies found in the work that once employees turned soldiers left behind but also we witnessed an increase of labor need for specific industries, such as those that supported the wartime efforts. Women entered the workforce in droves, filling the much needed void in the offices and the factories. Women become the soldiers on the home front and once the war was over, there was no erasing the progress women made in proving capable and ready to hold gainful employment outside the home. This paper addresses women in the workforce,
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
Prior to World War II, women made up only five million of the total workforce in Britain and were expected to leave their jobs permanently once married or after the birth of the first child, this was referred to as the “marriage bar”. Despite the passing of liberating acts, women were still seen inferior to men. However, the outbreak of World War II changed everything for women, and was the fundamental event that created more equality by increased women’s employment and status in British society.
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.