GRSJ224/ feministmovementsincanada
Prominent Feminist Movements in Canada
There have been many past feminist movements that have greatly influenced Canada and women’s rights even today. Women’s movements were very prevalent in the 1900’s and from then on there were a lot of individuals who came together with one common goal which was achieve equality for women in Canada. Between the 1960’s and the 1990’s, Canada became more progressive[1] regarding their position of women within society, and this is partly thanks to some of these feminist movements.
The Voice of Women
The voice of women (VOW) represents the beginning of prominent feminist movements within Canada. The group formed in 1960 with the sole purpose of giving women a voice[2]. This was the first time that a group formed and truly made a difference for women in Canada. This movement allowed women to be listened to throughout their city, country, and across seas. VOW values peace over anything, which is the purpose of their movement. Not only did VOW give women a chance to speak, but also minority women[2], for example disabled and indigenous women.
The Famous 5
The famous five were a group of women who came together in 1929 to fight for the rights of women. They educated the community on the struggles that women faced in the legal and social context and fought for equality.
The famous 5 are famously known for their activeness in the missing persons case in 1929[3]. This refers to the women questioning section 24 of the BNA [3]as it refers to individuals in a collective group known as the ‘person’. The women asked the judge if this ‘person’ refers to women as well as men. It then became known that it did not. The famous 5 were not willing to back down from their beliefs as women, and took this case to the Judicial Committee[3], where they won their case. Thanks to the actions of the famous 5, a feminist movement, women are now considered “persons”[3] under the law.
The famous 5 also changed laws and created them,[3] for example allowing women to wear what they please. They also fought for women to be able to speak freely, whether that be about politics or suffrage. Additionally, the famous 5 are the reason that women are now allowed to vote in provincial elections.[3]
What once started out as five women, became a new future for the women of Canada, a movement that shaped the rights of women forever.
The Women's Health Movement
Before the 1960’s, women lacked resources for their health concerns. The women’s health movement is a group of women that came together to navigate their own health and make women’s health a priority. This movement gave women a safe place to discuss concepts special to women, for example, babies and cervix'[4]s. Before this movement, women were left knowledgeable about their health because the government did not provide the proper resources. This movement had a great effect on the health of the female population and in 1993, the Canadian Women’s Health Network was created because of the women’s health movement. This network is appreciated across countries and is a very helpful resource for women in today’s world.
What was once just a group of women trying to navigate their own health concerns, transformed into a network that has the power to assist past, current, and future women.
Disabled Women's Network in Canada
The disabled women’s network in Canada (DAWN) started do to a women’s movement that brought seventeen women[5] together to discuss the struggles that women with disabilities face while living in a Canadian society. These women were driven by a goal which was to have disabled women be equal[5] to others within society. The movement resulted in this organization that discusses the struggles of disabled women with communities to educate society and to ensure that women who are disabled do not feel discouraged.
Women's Legal Education and Action Fund
On April 17, 1985[6] a group of women came together after examining the ways in which women’s rights were dealt with within the court room. These women created a movement to defend women’s rights and foster equality within the law and beyond. Before this movement, women were being treated different than men in under the law, simply because of their gender. Because of this movement, the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund was created to educate society on the discrimination women face in regard to their legal rights.[7] Additionally, this organization has stepped into many cases to ensure that the rights of women are being protected, and the court is not overpowering the female population. Because of the movement that resulted in something much bigger, less women are seen as inferior to men under law.
The National Women's March against Poverty
The National Women’s March Against Poverty took place in 1996[8]. Approximately 500,00 women[8] joined together to march across Canada to express desire for wealth to be distributed in an equal manner. This movement marked the largest women demonstration in the history of Canada[8]. These women all believed that women considered lower and middle class had the same rights as the upper-class women, and that all women are equal in society. The NAC President, Sunera Thobani speaks of the beliefs of the women in the march expressing that, "women's dreams of equality can never be realized in a society polarized between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots,' where the poorer regions of the country are marginalized, racism grows, and the most vulnerable members of our community are abandoned." (Thobani, 1996)[8]
Women's March
Women’s place in society has come a long way since these movements, and that is still celebrated today. In Canada, the women’s march appreciates the work of past women, and suggests that more needs to be done for women to be treated equal to men. The march also focuses on addressing the minority women who face immense discrimination in all aspects of their life. This is a movement that Canadian women have been participating in for the past three years[9], to keep the struggles for women’s rights still prevalent.
Conclusion
Women’s March Against Poverty, the Women’s Health Movement, and the Famous 5 have all impacted the lives of past, current, and future Canadian women. Some movements can also turn into a complete organization that becomes nationally respected and appreciated. Some examples of this are the Voice of Women, the Disabled Women’s Network in Canada, and the Women’s Legal and Action Fund. Similarly, the Women’s Health Movement led to the creation of Canadian’s Women’s Health Network which has benefited many women today and most likely in the future.
Also See
References
- ↑ Everitt, Joanna. “Public Opinion and Social Movements: The Women's Movement and the Gender Gap in Canada.” Canadian Journal of Political Science / Revue Canadienne De Science Politique, vol. 31, no. 4, 1998, pp. 743–765. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3232929.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 “About.” Canadian Voice of for Peace. https://vowpeace.org/
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Heritage, Canadian. “Government of Canada.” Canada.ca, Government of Canada, 25 Oct. 2017, https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/rights-women.html.
- ↑ Basen, Gwynne, et al. "The Women's Health Movement in Canada Looking Back and Moving Forward." Canadian Woman Studies 24.1 (2004): 7-13. ProQuest. 27 Nov. 2019.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 “RAFH :: Our Founding Mothers.” Disabled Women's Network Canada, https://www.dawncanada.net/about/foundingmothers/.
- ↑ “Women's Movements in Canada: 1960–85.” Women's Movements in Canada: 1960–85 | The Canadian Encyclopedia, https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/womens-movements-in-canada-196085.
- ↑ “Women's Legal Education and Action Fund.” LEAF, 15 Dec. 2016, https://www.leaf.ca/.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Citation: Luxton, Meg. “Feminism as a Class Act: Working-Class Feminism and the Women's Movement in Canada.” Labour / Le Travail, vol. 48, 2001, pp. 63–88. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/25149161.
- ↑ Staff. “Canadians across the Country Take Part in Third Annual Women's March.” Global News, Global News, 20 Jan. 2019, https://globalnews.ca/news/4866917/womens-march-canada-2019/.