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Chapter
17 Women Demand Change
A Mock Parliament
It is 27 January 1914. Nellie McClung and sev- men are given the vote,” she says, “they will
eral hundred women meet with the premier of vote too much. Politics unsettles men.
Manitoba. They have a petition demanding Unsettled men mean unsettled bills—broken
the Manitoba government grant women the furniture, broken vows, and divorce. . . . Men
right to vote. Nellie confronts the premier: cannot be trusted with the ballot. Men’s place
“We are not here to ask for a gift or a favour, is on the farm.”
The play is a roaring success. The audibut for a right—not for mercy, but for justice!”
Premier Roblin receives the women res- ence howls with laughter and the premier and
pectfully but dismisses their arguments: “Now his government are embarrassed. Requests to
you forget all this nonsense about women vot- repeat the performance come from all over
Manitoba. Money earned is used to finance the
ing. Nice women don’t want to vote!”
The next night, at the Walker Theatre in women’s campaign to win the right to vote.
Winnipeg, women stage a
Reflecting
mock parliament. All mem1. Why do you think women at the turn of the 20th
bers are women. Nellie
century did not have the right to vote?
McClung is premier. Roles
2.
Why
was a stage play an effective way for women to
are reversed and men are
make their point?
asking for the right to vote.
3.
Imagine
you are in the audience.What might your
Nellie cleverly pokes fun at
reactions be if you are a man? A woman? What
the idea that women’s place
arguments might you make for why women should or
is in the home and that they
should not be given the vote?
are too emotional to vote. “If
264
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Chapter 17: Women Demand Change
Women in Society
In society at the turn of the 20th century, men
and women were not treated equally. The early
20th century was very much a man’s world.
Consider these facts about the position of
women in Canada in the late 1800s:
a) No woman had the right to vote. The
Election Act of the Dominion of Canada
stated “no woman, idiot, lunatic, or criminal
shall vote.”
b) No woman could be elected to federal or
provincial government.
c) A man had a great deal of control over his
wife and children. At that time, the father
had complete control over the children. He
could collect their income. Without consulting his wife, he could put their children up
for adoption.
d) It was commonly accepted that a woman’s
chief function was to keep house for her
husband and to bear children. One out of
every five women in Canada died in childbirth at this time.
e) Wives had to obey their husbands and could
legally be beaten.
f) In the West, wives or single women could
not claim homesteads. Only if she was the
head of a household could a woman take
up a homestead.
g) Married women had the right to financial
support from their husbands. However,
wives of alcoholic men found it very difficult in practice to collect any support
money.
h) Girls could attend elementary and secondary schools. Very few women in Canada
received post-secondary education. The
University of Toronto did not admit women
until the 1880s. Most professions were still
closed to women. People would not accept
the idea that women could perform the jobs
of doctors, lawyers, or church ministers as
well as men.
By 1900, however, ideas about women were
slowly beginning to change.
Table Manners for Young Ladies
• Take your seat quietly at the table.
• Sit firmly in your chair without lolling back,
drumming, or any other uncouth action.
• Unfold your napkin and lay it on your lap.
• Eat soup directly with a spoon.
• Be careful to make no noise in chewing or
swallowing your food.
Women were expected to behave
very properly in society.This list of
table manners is from one woman’s
diary. Lists like this one were often
put up in rooming houses for country girls who had come to cities
looking for work.
265
• Break your bread, do not cut it or bite it.
• Your cup was made to drink from, and your
saucer for to hold your cup.
• Wipe your nose if necessary but never blow it
at the table.
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Unit 3 Canada: A Changing Society
Civics &
Society
Women’s Changing Roles
More women were working outside the
home in factories, mills, stores, and
offices. Most women in these jobs, however, were unmarried.They were also
paid far less than men and had few
opportunities for promotions. Once married, husbands were expected to support
their wives. Nevertheless, many married
women took in extra sewing or laundry
to help pay the bills.
Wealthy women had more leisure time than
the poor. Domestic servants as well as new
household gadgets such as carpet sweepers,
washing machines, and store-bought food
and clothing relieved women of some of the
household chores.Wealthy women could
pursue some of their own interests in music,
art, or charitable work.
A large number of women
worked as household servants in
middle and upper class homes.
These jobs paid the lowest wages
of all, but domestic servants were
always in demand. Many immigrant women answered advertisements to work as servants in
Canada.These two women are
from Finland. By 1911, 35% of
household servants were recent
immigrants.
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Chapter 17: Women Demand Change
267
Educated women went into the
teaching and nursing professions.
Nurses were almost all women.
Women also soon took over the
majority of teaching jobs. By
1920, 83% of elementary school
teachers and 50% of secondary
school teachers were women.
In the late 1800s,
women traditionally
wore long skirts and
dresses tightly tucked
in at the waist.Wearing pants was unheard
of. Fancy dresses were especially elaborate
and uncomfortable by today’s standards.
But by 1918, the Eaton’s catalogue was
advertising overalls for women—a sign of
changing fashions.
1. Work in groups. Imagine you
are the women in each photo.
Discuss and record the
advantages and disadvantages
of each of your new roles.
2. Gather photos to create your
own picture story of modern
women’s roles. How do these
roles of women today compare with women’s roles at
the turn of the 20th century?
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Unit 3 Canada: A Changing Society
Tech
Link
New Technology Revolutionizes
Women’s Work
The Typewriter
ike the computer today, the
typewriter at the turn of the
20th century changed the business world. It also had major
impacts on communications and
education. By allowing for the
mechanization of office jobs, the typewriter paved the way for women to
enter the office. By 1900, any concerns
that women could not operate office
equipment had disappeared. In fact,
office managers had come to prefer
women to men for certain tasks. A
textbook on office management published in 1915 noted:
L
A woman is to be preferred for the
secretarial position for she is not
averse to doing minor tasks, work
involving handling of petty details,
which would irk and irritate ambitious young men, who usually feel
that the work they are doing is of
no importance if it can be performed by some person with a
lower salary.
The first front-stroke typewriter was
invented in 1890. The first electric typewriter was used in an office in 1920.
Adapted from Jan Coomber and Rosemary
Evans, Women Changing Canada, Copyright
Oxford University Press 1997. p. 11.
Reprinted by permission.
The Telephone
The telephone also
created new jobs for
women. Telephone operators were
almost all women. But
the work and the new technology were
not without some negative effects.
Some operators looked after 80 to 100
switchboard lines and more than 6000
possible connections. Long-distance
operators sometimes got severe electric shocks. The job caused mental and
nervous exhaustion after long hours. In
1907, 400 female operators in Toronto
went on strike when the Bell
Telephone Company wanted to
increase their hours without a pay
raise. The workers won some more pay
for longer hours, but they were not
part of a union that could represent
their concerns.
1. Create a diagram to show how the
typewriter could change office work,
communications, and education.
2. How did these advances in technology also have negative effects on
women’s roles? Discuss your reactions to the quotation from the
textbook on office management.
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Chapter 17: Women Demand Change
269
New Organizations
In the late 1800s, women were beginning to create organizations for
social and political change.
Women’s Christian
Temperance Union
In 1874, the Canadian branch of the
Women’s Christian Temperance
Union (WCTU) was formed. Its aim
was to combat the problems created
by alcohol. The women members
were very concerned about the number of wives and children who were
being beaten, abused, or neglected.
Through programs in schools, they hoped to
make the younger generation aware of the dangers of drinking. The WCTU also worked hard
to limit the number of stores and bars licensed
to sell liquor. Their ultimate goal was to stop
the sale of alcohol altogether.
In their crusade against liquor, women of
the WCTU learned an important lesson. They
realized that until they had the right to vote, no
government was going to listen to them. If they
had the right to vote, women could defeat
politicians and governments who ignored their
demands. It was not surprising that many leaders of the WCTU were also active in the movement to gain the vote.
Emily Stowe and the Women’s
Literary Club
Emily Stowe was a pioneer in the struggle for
women’s equality. In 1852 she became the first
woman school principal. She wanted to
become a doctor, but the University of Toronto
refused to admit her because she was a
woman. She was forced to go to the United
States to study. When she came back to Canada
to practise medicine, she faced fines, threats,
and harrassment from others in the medical
profession.
In 1876, Dr. Emily Stowe formed the
Toronto Women’s Literary Club. This name
was deceiving. The purpose of the club was to
teach women their rights. The club worked
hard to win the right to vote for women. It
struggled for laws to improve the wages and
working conditions for women in factories and
sweatshops. It also helped establish a medical
college for women in Ontario. The club finally
persuaded the University of Toronto to admit
women in 1886. Emily’s daughter, Augusta,
became the first woman to study medicine and
graduate as a doctor in Canada.
Adelaide Hoodless and the
Women’s Institute
In 1889, Adelaide Hoodless had a great tragedy
in her life. Her 18-month-old son died from
drinking contaminated milk. In those days,
refrigeration was inadequate. Contaminated
food was common. But Adelaide Hoodless
blamed herself. She felt her ignorance had
caused the death of her child.
Adelaide Hoodless set out to persuade the
public schools to teach domestic science. She
wanted sewing, sanitation, nutrition, and
housekeeping skills to be studied in school.
At first, Ontario education officials rejected
the idea. However, with the support of the
Young Women’s Christian Association
(YWCA), Adelaide Hoodless and her supporters persisted. Gradually, school boards across
the province introduced classes in home
economics.
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Unit 3 Canada: A Changing Society
The Movement for
Suffrage
At the beginning of the 20th century,
women in many countries were also
organizing to obtain the vote. Members
of this movement were called suffragettes in England. In Canada, they were
called suffragists. Their names came
from the word “suffrage.” Suffrage
means the right to vote. Regardless of
what they were called, their purpose
was the same. It was to win the same
rights and opportunities that men
enjoyed. Getting the vote was just the
first step.
In Britain, the suffragettes fought a
violent campaign to win their rights.
They chained themselves to the gates of
Buckingham Palace. They smashed the
windows of the prime minister’s residence. They scuffled with the police.
Time and time again, women went to
jail to draw attention to their cause. At
the famous horse race, the Derby, one
suffragette leaped in front of a race
Adelaide Hoodless and her children.
horse owned by King George V. She
died in front of the King and thousands
of shocked spectators. Another suffragette said
The most famous accomplishment of
to the King, “For God’s sake, stop torturing
Adelaide Hoodless was founding the world’s
women.” The King replied, “I really don’t know
first Women’s Institute in 1897. This was
what the world is coming to!” What the world
a group of farm women who organized
was coming to was a new recognition of
themselves to study nutrition, child care,
women’s rights.
household management, and sanitation.
In Canada, the suffragEventually, the idea of
ists’ movement was more
Women’s Institutes spread
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Chapter 17: Women Demand Change
271
Victory!
In 1915, the government of Premier Roblin of
Manitoba was defeated. The new premier was
the Liberal, T.C. Norris. He had promised that
Manitoba women would be given the right to
vote. On 27 January 1916, the bill was passed.
It was two years to the day after Nellie McClung
and her supporters had petitioned Premier
Roblin. When the bill passed, women sitting in
the galleries of the legislature stood up and
sang “O Canada.”
The women of Manitoba were the first in
Canada to gain the right to vote. About two
months later, similar bills were passed in
Saskatchewan and Alberta. British Columbia
and Ontario followed suit the next year.
Eventually all provinces granted women the
vote. Québec was the last. Women in that
province did not gain the vote until 1940. The
breakthrough for women’s federal suffrage
came during World War I—as you will see in
the next unit.
A fighter for women’s rights, Agnes
Macphail, was the first woman to be elected to
the House of Commons in 1921. She was reelected four times. In the same year, Nellie
McClung was elected to the Alberta legislature.
The day women won the vote in Alberta,
suffragists Nellie McClung, Alice Jamieson, and
Emily Murphy decided they must celebrate.
“Being women,” said Mrs. Jamieson,“we couldn’t
very well express our joy and satisfaction by
going out and getting a bottle, so we walked
down Jasper Avenue with our arms interlocked.
Mrs. Murphy suggested that the most reckless
thing we could do would be to have our pictures taken.” This picture has become one of
Canada’s historical treasures.
In the federal election of 1997, 62 of the
301 Members of Parliament were women.
Elsie Inman Remembers
Not everyone was happy with the decision to give women the right to vote. Some
men refused to allow their wives to vote. According to Senator Elsie Inman:
Most of the women were afraid of their husbands.The majority of husbands
refused to let them vote.Well, I remember one woman was scared to vote
because her husband might see her at the poll. She was anxious to vote, and I
said, “Would he know you if you were dressed up in other clothes?” Well, she
didn’t think he would, so I went home and she was about my size.We wore
veils in those days, so I took my clothes and coat and put the veil on her and
took her to vote.
I went to the door to get another woman to vote and her husband met
me and said, “Get out of this trying to lead my wife astray.You should be
ashamed of yourself . . .”
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Unit 3 Canada: A Changing Society
Profile
Nellie McClung
ellie McClung was one of
Canada’s great social
reformers. She was a writer
and a champion of human
rights. Born in Ontario in 1873,
Nellie moved west with her
family to Manitoba when
she was seven. She
trained to be a teacher
and started teaching
when she was 16.
She soon made her
mark when she
refused to ban girls
in her class from
lunchtime football
games. During her
lifetime she wrote
many books and
magazine articles.
She became known
far beyond the borders
of Manitoba.
About the time of her
marriage, Nellie McClung
joined the Women’s Christian
Temperance Union. This was
her start in politics. Nellie
began to fight for the right of
women to vote and own
property. She had great ability
as a speaker and was famous
for her quick wit and sense
N
of humour. One of her most
famous lines is: “Never
retract, never explain, never
apologize—get the thing done
and let them howl.”
In 1914 she helped to defeat
the Manitoba provincial government which had opposed
giving women the right to vote.
In 1916 women won the vote in
Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and
Alberta. In 1921 Nellie was
elected to the Alberta legislature. In 1929 she and four other
women won the famous
Persons Case. The British Privy
Council declared that women
were qualified as “persons” to
sit in the Senate of Canada.
Nellie died in Victoria, BC, in
1951.
1. Suppose you had to give a
short speech about Nellie
McClung on International
Women’s Day next March 8.
What would you say that
you most admire about her?
How would you explain her
contribution to Canadian
society? Record your speech
on audiotape or on video.
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Chapter 17: Women Demand Change
2. The quotations below come from a
book by Nellie McClung called In Times
Like These. It was published in 1915. In
groups, discuss the following questions.
Choose a spokesperson to present
your ideas to the class.
a) What do these quotations tell you
about the position of women and
the aims of the suffragists?
b) Could any of these quotations still
apply to the position of women
today?
c) How far do you think women have
come in meeting these goals?
The time will come, we hope,
when women will be economically free, and mentally and spiritually independent enough to
refuse to have their food paid for
by men; when women will receive
equal pay for equal work and
have all avenues of activity open
to them; and will be free to
choose their own mates, without
shame, or indelicacy; when men
will not be afraid of marrying
because of the financial burden,
but free men and free women
will marry for love and together
work for the sustenance of their
families. It is not too ideal a
thought. It is coming and the
new movement among women
who are crying out for a larger
humanity, is going to bring it
about.
The world has never been partial to
the thinking woman . . . Long years
ago, when women asked for an education, the world cried out that it
would never do. If women learned to
read there seemed to be a possibility
that some day some good man might
come home and find his wife reading
and the dinner not ready—and nothing could be imagined more horrible
than that!
Children do not need their mother’s
care always, and the mother who has
given up every hope and ambition in
the care of her children will find herself left all alone when her children
no longer need her—a woman without a job . . . the belief that a woman
must cherish no hope or ambition of
her own is both cruel and unjust.
273
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Unit 3 Canada: A Changing Society
Culture
Link
Women in the Arts
hough many professions
were closed to women,
some women had groundbreaking careers in the arts. They
made a significant contribution
to the development of Canadian
culture in the 20th century.
T
Emily Carr
Emily Carr was an artist and a
writer. She was born on a
stormy night in Victoria, British
Columbia in 1871. Growing up
in British Columbia, she developed a passion for nature and
art. Shortly after
her parents died
when Emily was
in her teens, she
went to San
Francisco to
study art. She
also studied in
England and
France. When
she returned to
Canada she
taught art to
children in
Vancouver and
Memalilaqua, Knight Inlet by Emily
Carr, 1912. Aboriginal peoples, their
artifacts and villages were favourite
subjects of Emily Carr’s art.
then opened a boarding house
in Victoria. Around 1908, she
began visiting and painting the
villages of Aboriginal peoples in
British Columbia. In 1928, she
went to Ontario and met the
artists of the Group of Seven.
From then on, she gained
increasing recognition for her
artistic achievements. At age 70
when her health was failing, she
turned to writing. In 1941 her
book of short stories, Klee
Wyck, won the Governor
General’s award for fiction.
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Chapter 17: Women Demand Change
Lucy Maud Montgomery
275
Pauline Johnson
(Tekahionwake)
was the daughter
of a Mohawk chief
and an Englishwoman. Born on
the Six Nations
Reserve at Brantford, Ontario, in
1861, she became
one of Canada’s
leading poets in
the early years of
the 20th century.
Lucy Maud Montgomery was born at Clifton,
Prince Edward Island, in 1874. Her mother
died before Maud was two years old. Since
her father could not take care of her, she
went to live with her grandparents in
Cavendish, PEI. Her grandparents were very
strict. When Maud was seven, her father left
to live in Saskatchewan and she did not see
him for long periods of time.
In 1893 Lucy Maud attended Prince of
Wales College in Charlottetown and received
her teaching certificate. When her grandfather died in 1898, Lucy Maud went to
look after her grandmother. She had
Corn Husker
written and published many poems and
Hard by the Indian lodges, where the bush
short stories. Now she also began to
Breaks in a clearing, through ill-fashioned fields.
write books and finished Anne of
She comes to labour, when the first still hush
Of autumn follows large and recent yields.
Green Gables in 1906. But she could
not find a publisher until 1908. When it
Age in her fingers, hunger on her face,
was finally published, the book was a
Her shoulders stooped with weight of work and years,
great success. In 1911, Maud moved to
But rich in tawny colouring of her race,
Leaksdale, Ontario with her husband
She comes a-field to strip the purple ears.
and continued to write. In 1926, she
And all her thoughts are with the days gone by.
and her family moved to Norval,
Ere might’s injustice banished from their lands
Ontario, near Toronto. In her lifetime,
Her people, that today unheeded lie,
Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote over 500
Like the dead husks that rustle through her hands.
short stories and 20 novels. Her stories
—Pauline Johnson
are still alive today in plays and television programs which have gained international recognition.
1. Imagine you are asked to create a Home
Page on the Internet for one of these
woman artists.Your Page should provide
visitors with information on the artist’s life,
work, and importance to us today. Plan and
sketch out your Home Page.
2. How does Pauline Johnson’s poem “Corn
Husker” reflect the position of Aboriginal
women at the turn of the 20th century?
Write a short interpretation of the poem
in your journal.
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Unit 3 Canada: A Changing Society
The Persons Case
Women in Canada had won the right to vote,
but they still did not enjoy all the privileges
that men had. In 1916, an event took place that
pointed out this lack of equality.
Emily Murphy, Nellie McClung, Louise
McKinney, Henrietta Edwards, and Irene Parlby
decided to petition the prime minister to
appoint a woman to the Senate. The British
North America Act stated that qualified “persons” could be appointed to the Senate. Was a
woman a “person” in the eyes of the law? The
issue was referred to the courts. The Persons
Case dragged on in the courts for a period of
time. In April 1928, the Supreme Court of
Canada decided that women were not “persons” and so could not be appointed to the
Senate in Canada.
Judge Murphy and her supporters, nicknamed the Famous Five, were discouraged but
not defeated. They decided that they would
appeal their case to the Privy Council in Britain.
The Privy Council was the highest court of
appeal in the British empire. After months of
further consideration, the judges of the Privy
Council declared that the word “persons”
included females. Women were indeed qualified
to sit in the Senate of Canada. The Famous Five
had won their fight.
Emily Murphy was the first woman judge
appointed in Edmonton to hear cases involving women. A lawyer in her courtroom challenged her right to judge any case because
she was a woman. He said that no woman
was a “person” in the eyes of the law. The
matter was referred to the Supreme Court
of Alberta. It ruled that a woman had every
right to be a judge, but the issue of whether
or not women were “persons” was not
resolved until 1928.
In 1999, there were 102 Senators in Canada.
Thirty-two were women.
Skill Building: Conducting an Interview
An interview is an excellent way to collect firsthand information. Many people have fascinating
stories to tell about their experiences and
interests.When the interviewer is well prepared and asks well thought-out questions, the
results can be rewarding.
Sometimes television journalists conduct
on-the-spot interviews.They approach people
on the street and ask questions about topics in
the news. In these opinion interviews, journalists try to find out what ordinary people
think about an issue.The following steps will
help you conduct a good interview.
Key Steps
1. Know what information you are after. Have
a definite reason for the interview.
2. Prepare well in advance by researching your
subject.
3. Work out your questions beforehand.The
right question is the only way to get the information you need.Try to include questions that
ask who, what, where, when, how, and why.
Avoid questions that require only a yes or no
answer.
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Chapter 17: Women Demand Change
4. Listen carefully to what is said. Don’t rush
the interview. If the person says something
interesting, give her or him more time to talk
about it. Ask a question that digs deeper and
encourages more information.The best interviews happen when people really have a chance
to share their opinions.
5. You will want to keep a record of the
answers to the questions. An excellent way is to
bring a tape recorder with you. Record the
whole interview. Remember to ask for permission to tape the interview.Thank the person
when the interview is concluded.
277
6. Make your notes as soon as possible after
the interview. Listen to the tape and transfer the
answers to the interview sheet.
Try It!
Interview your mother, grandmother, aunt, or
some other adult female relative or friend to find
out what changes have occurred in the status of
women throughout her lifetime. Use the following questionnaire or make up one of your own.
Share with your class what you discover through
your interviews.
Sample Questionnaire
Interviewer’s Name __________________________________ Date _____________________
DATA ON PERSON INTERVIEWED
Name ______________________________ Relationship to me ___________________________
1. Do you think women and men today have equal rights? Are there any ways women and
men do not have equal rights today?
__________________________________________________________________________
2. Do you think women can do most jobs as well as men?
__________________________________________________________________________
3. Are there any jobs you think only men should have? If so, what jobs? Why?
__________________________________________________________________________
4. Are there any jobs you think only women should have? If so, what jobs? Why?
__________________________________________________________________________
5. When men and women have the same jobs, should they be paid exactly the same wages?
__________________________________________________________________________
6. In households where both the husband and the wife are employed outside the home,
how should household chores be shared?
__________________________________________________________________________
7. Why is it more important for young women to be well educated today?
__________________________________________________________________________
8. Do you think women should be encouraged to run for political office? Why?
__________________________________________________________________________
9. Would you vote for a woman for prime minister of Canada? If not, why not?
__________________________________________________________________________
10. How has the position of women changed in your lifetime?
__________________________________________________________________________
11. How do you think the role of women will change in the next 20 years?
__________________________________________________________________________
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Unit 3 Canada: A Changing Society
A Timeline of Canadian Women’s History
1769
Frances Brooke writes the first novel concerning Canada, The History of Emily
Montague. Brooke lived in Canada while her husband was chaplain of the
British troops at Québec.
1836
Catherine Parr Traill publishes The
Backwoods of Canada about her early
pioneer experiences.
1852
Susanna Moodie’s Roughing It in the
Bush about pioneer life in Canada is
published.
1882
Cora Hind is turned down for a job with
the Winnipeg Free Press in 1882
because she is a woman. Eventually,
she is hired and becomes the agricultural editor and a worldwide authority
on grain.
1893
The National Council of Women is
founded by Lady Aberdeen, wife of the
governor general.
1897
Adelaide Hoodless founds the first Women’s Institute.
1911
Elizabeth Simcoe’s Diary is published about life in Upper Canada more than a
century earlier.
1913
Alys McKey Bryant is the first woman to pilot an airplane in Canada.
1914-1918
Susanna Moodie
Thousands of women enter the workforce during World War I to fill jobs
vacated by men who have gone to fight.
1916
Emily Murphy is appointed a police magistrate in Edmonton, the first woman in
the British empire to hold such a post.
1917
Louise McKinney and Roberta McAdams are elected to the Alberta legislature.
They are the first female members of any provincial legislature.
1921
Agnes Campbell Macphail is the first woman elected to federal Parliament in
Canada and serves for 19 years.
1927
Emily Carr is the first Canadian woman to achieve world-wide recognition as a
painter. The National Gallery of Canada exhibits some of her best work.
1928
Ethel Catherwood (high jump), Bobbie Rosenfeld, Ethel Smith, Myrtle Cook,
and Florence Bell (100 m relay), are the first Canadian women to win Olympic
gold medals.
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Chapter 17: Women Demand Change
279
1929
Thérèse Casgrain becomes leader of the League of Women’s Rights in Québec
and works for women’s suffrage in that province.
1931
Cairine MacKay Wilson becomes Canada’s first woman senator.
1937
Laura Goodman Salverson wins the Governor General’s Award for literature for
her novel, The Dark Weaver, about the life of an Icelandic immigrant in Manitoba.
1940
The Edmonton Grads, a
women’s basketball team, is
disbanded. The Grads were
acknowledged as world
champions at tournaments
in 1924, 1928, 1932, and
1936.
1941
The Army, Air Force, and
Navy recruit women into the
Armed Services. The contribution of women to the
labour force during World
War II (1939-1945) expands
the traditional roles of
women in Canadian society.
The Edmonton Grads
1948
Barbara Ann Scott wins the Olympic, World, and European figure-skating titles.
1954
Sixteen-year-old Marilyn Bell successfully swims Lake Ontario.
1957
Ellen Fairclough is the first woman appointed as a cabinet minister.
1960
The Canadian Bill of Rights makes it illegal to treat women unfairly because of
their gender.
1967
The Royal Commission on the Status of Women is set up to work toward equal
opportunities for women in all aspects of Canadian society.
1968
Nancy Greene wins a gold medal in skiing at the Olympic Games.
1972
Rosemary Brown is the first Black woman elected to a provincial legislature
(British Columbia) in Canada.
1974
Pauline McGibbon is the first woman to become lieutenant-governor of Ontario.
1975
International Women’s Year.
Grace Hartman is elected president of CUPE (Canadian Union of Public
Employees), one of the most important unions in Canada.
1976
Jean Sutherland Boggs is Director of the National Gallery in Ottawa—the first
woman in the world to head a major art institution.
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Unit 3 Canada: A Changing Society
1982
Bertha Wilson is appointed as the first
woman on the Supreme Court of Canada.
Women’s rights are enshrined in the new
Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
1984
Jeanne Sauvé is the first woman to become
governor general of Canada.
Anne Cools becomes Canada’s first Black
female senator.
1986
Shirley Carr becomes the head of the
Canadian Labour Congress.
Sharon Wood of Canmore, Alberta, becomes
the first North American woman to scale
Mount Everest.
1989
Audrey McLaughlin becomes the first woman
to lead a federal political party (New Democratic Party).
1991
Nellie Cournoyea becomes the government leader in the Northwest Territories.
1992
Dr. Roberta Bondar becomes the first Canadian woman in space.
Kerrin Lee-Gartner wins the Olympic Gold medal in downhill skiing. Women’s
rowing teams also win gold medals.
1993
Catherine Callbeck of Prince Edward Island becomes the first woman to be
elected premier of a province in Canada.
Kim Campbell becomes Canada’s first female Prime Minister.
Senator Joyce Fairbairn becomes the first woman leader of the Government in
the Senate.
1995
Alexa McDonough is selected leader of the
federal New Democratic Party.
1996
Joan Grant-Cummings becomes the second
woman of colour to head the National Action
Committee on the Status of Women.
1997
Canadian women win the Women’s World
Hockey Championship.
1999
Julie Payette is the second Canadian woman
to participate in a NASA space mission.
Senator Anne Cools
Astronaut Julie Payette
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281
Chapter 17: Women Demand Change
Fast Forward
Women Today
Each year countries around the world celebrate
International Women’s Day on March 8. This day
was first marked in 1911 to protest women’s
working conditions. In Canada, we celebrate
Women’s History Month in October and October
18th is Persons Day, the day women were made
“persons” under Canadian law. These dates and
celebrations remind us that while some victories
have been won, women today are still working
for changes in attitudes and equal opportunities
in some aspects of society.
Today, women make up over 50% of the labour
force. However, they still face job discrimination.
The majority of women still tend to be found in
traditional lower-paying “female” jobs. In 1997,
80% of people working in clerical jobs (office assistants, filing clerks, etc.) were women. The vast
majority of nurses and teachers are also women,
but only about 20% of jobs in the natural sciences
are held by women.
However, changes are happening. More than half
the students in Canadian universities are women
and many more female high school graduates have
enrolled in university math and science programs.
The percentage of women working in management
and administrative positions has increased to 50%
in 1997 and women are continuing to move into
new and specialized areas.
For more information, visit the web site of the
Status Of Women Canada at www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/.
WOMEN AS A PERCENTAGE OF THE WORKFORCE,
BY OCCUPATION, 1901, 1921, 1997
80
79.3
75
1997
1921
1901
68.7
70
65
58.6
60
57.5
57.4
55
51.1
50
46.6
45
43.8
41.8
40
35
30
25.6
25
22.1
20
15.4
15
10.4
10
5
3.6
13.4 15.4
12.6
4.3
0
Managerial
Clerical (office)
Sales
Service
Skilled Labour All Occupations
(Figures for 1901 are for women age 10 and over; figures for 1921 are for women age 15 and over; figures for 1997 are for women age 25 and over)
Source: Statistics Canada
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Unit 3 Canada: A Changing Society
Skill Building: Analyzing a Current Issue
Throughout the 20th century, women have
worked to achieve equality with men. However,
there are still some unresolved issues. How do
we get more women actively involved in
Canadian politics? How can we challenge laws
that are discriminatory to women? How can we
stop violence against women? What can be done
about women who live in poverty? Are women
in sports treated equally with men?
To really understand any one of these issues,
you need to collect and analyze information
about it. Newspapers, magazines, and the
Internet are good sources of current information. Here are some helpful steps to follow.
Gather Information
1. Brainstorm some of the issues facing women
today.
2. Individually or in small groups, choose an
issue from your list. Collect at least two articles
on the topic. Read the articles carefully so that
you can understand the ideas that are being
explained.
Let’s practise with an example. Read the
following article.
s
t
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hools and u er than
sc
ft
o
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ebbie Bozso
usually low grams
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ball), Abbie ail Cummings, tha en. Women have
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B
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m
unt of gym womm
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e. Profess
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rt
o
n en at
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laries as men
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the same sa ls or for
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w
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their skil
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peara boys’ te rst to challenge for
g special ap
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the idea o le went all the ance overnment fundtt
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h
rs male
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only. T
upreme Co urt ing usually favou ia do
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important
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th
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the co
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ri
y,
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F
h
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Canada.
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ament, it
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not cover y as much detail. tourn ont page news.
ruled that g
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play on boy ss, women ath- even ample, when Mike Wei
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anadian m victory is splashed ove n.
ith men. C
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ing field w
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women stil rts. Funding for fron hen Dawn Coe-Jones
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women’s sp
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Chapter 17: Women Demand Change
Organize Your Ideas
3. The next step is to examine the issue more
closely. State the issue in the form of a question.
For example: “Should women athletes receive
equal funding and the same recognition as men?”
4. Every issue has positive and negative sides.
Think about criteria you can use to compare the
positive and negative aspects of your issue. For
example, one criteria is the fairness of equal
funding for male and female athletes.You could
also consider who else will be affected if funding
is changed and how (consider spectators of
sports, young aspiring athletes, businesses that
sponsor sports teams, society in general, etc.).
Arrange your ideas in an organizer like the one
below.
Evaluate Ideas and Form Your Own
Opinion
5. Hold a class discussion on the topic. Review
the positive and negative points in your organizer. Listen carefully and fairly to each other.
Add to your organizer any additional points you
consider important.
6. Now, decide what your opinion is on the
issue. Be able to support your decision.Write a
paragraph in your notebook expressing your
own point of view.
Issue: Should women athletes receive equal funding and the
same recognition as men?
Criteria
Fairness of
equal funding
and recognition
Effects on
women athletes
Effects on
male athletes
Effects on
sports spectators
Effects on funding for
sports
Effects on businesses
and governments that
sponsor athletes or teams
283
Positive
Negative
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Unit 3 Canada: A Changing Society
Activities
Understanding Concepts
1. Add these new terms to your Factfile.
Women’s Christian
Temperance Union
Toronto Women’s
Literary Club
Women’s Institute
suffragist
suffrage
Persons Case
Famous Five
opinion interview
2. What roles did women play in Canada at the turn of the 20th century?
3. What did women decide they would have to do if they wanted to change their
conditions? What were some of the ways women worked to achieve this goal?
4. How did the methods used by the suffrigists differ from those used by the
suffragettes?
Digging Deeper
5. TIMELINE Develop a timeline that shows the important events leading to
equal voting rights for women in Canada.
6. CREATE Create pamphlets that suffragists might have distributed to make
women aware of their rights and to encourage them to fight for the vote.
7. ROLE PLAY Act out the incident Elsie Inman describes on page 271. Following
the presentation, hold a class discussion to decide what you would do if you
were in this woman’s place in 1920.Would you have obeyed your husband and
not voted? Would you have voted wearing a disguise? Would you have defied
your husband’s wishes? Explain your action.
8. THINK/WRITE Not all women supported the idea of women’s suffrage.What
reasons do you think they would give for keeping things as they were? Write a
review of Nellie McClung’s mock parliament for a newspaper of the time from
the point of view of a woman who does not want to see change.
9. CREATE Create political cartoons—some supporting suffrage for women and
some against it.
10. DRAMA Organize and present a mock parliament like that put on by Nellie
McClung at the Walker Theatre. Assign roles (you could include some of the
famous women mentioned in this chapter). Prepare speeches and arguments
beforehand. Rehearse and videotape the event for replaying to the class and
for discussion.
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Chapter 17: Women Demand Change
Making New Connections
11. THINK/CREATE Suppose your class has been asked to make a presentation for
Women’s History Month next October. Your theme is “Highlights in Canadian
Women’s History at the Turn of the 20th Century.” Decide what key events
and people you want to highlight and how you will present them.You can create posters, photo collages, videos, etc.
12. INVESTIGATE Suppose you are asked to select an Honour Role of 12
Canadian women today who have made significant contributions to society.
These women should represent many different fields and occupations (arts, sciences, media, politics, social work, finance, etc.).Your selection will be published
in a leading Canadian magazine.
a) Brainstorm criteria for your Honour Role.What are the most important
factors when you are considering women to include?
b) Do some investigating to compile a list of women who may be eligible.
Magazines, newspapers, and television news reports and interview programs
are good sources of information. Be prepared to defend your suggestions
with information on the women’s contributions. Show that they meet your
criteria.
c) Decide on your final list of 12 women. Design a magazine page to present
the profiles of your Honour Role. Create a page for each woman and post
the pages in your classroom.
285