Struggle for Equity
The common assumption of women, in the past, is that they are inferior to men, that their role in life is to cook, clean, take care of children, sew, and knit—housework. However, in Canada, as time passed, the roles of women have changed considerably; their role in society has grown from being trapped in the house to stronger and more powerful positions in society. It is evident that women in the twentieth century have struggled to jump over many hurdles to accomplish many endeavours, especially in political affairs. Throughout my essay I will be discussing the roles of three extraordinary women in Canada’s history and how they struggled to overcome the barriers to achieve the significant experiences that they accomplished: Emily Murphy, the first woman judge in the British Empire, and the important position she had in the Persons Case, Agnes Macphail and the struggles she had as Canada’s first female to be elected into Parliament and the career of Kim Campbell, Canada’s first female Prime Minister of Canada. Their actions have helped women in Canada take steps towards becoming equals. The Persons Case was a substantial event in Canadian history.Emily Murphy was a passionate fighter for women’s rights. She had a st
After the long hard battles that Nellie McClung fought for, women finally won the right to vote by the 1920’s in federal elections and provincial elections, except for in Quebec. In 1921, the first federal election was held and out of the mere five women who ran for parliament, Agnes Macphail was the only one elected and became known as the first women to become part of Parliament (Canadian Encyclopedia Internet). She, like Emily Murphy, was discriminated by her male colleagues because of her gender. As Macphail said herself: “A women’s place is any place she wants to be” (Newman 171). And, like Emily Murphy, she did not let the harassment bother her and she continued to fight hard for her rights. Campbell had a very active political career. She was a lawyer for two years before she ran for provincial leader when Bill Bennett resigned and she successfully won a seat in the legislature (National Library of Canada Internet). When Pat Carney retired from his seat, the federal Conservative Part urged her as a candidate and she won in the election. In 1989, she was offered a Junior cabinet post as Minister of State of Indian and Northern Affairs and moved on to become the Justice Minister in 1990. She also introduced a bill amending gun laws and commenced Bill C-49, which focused on “principle of consent in sexual assault”, and it passed its second reading with a vote of unanimity from the three federal parties, which was very rare. (Bliss 48) Avril Phaedra Douglas Campbell, better known as Kim Campbell, was the first female Prime Minister of Canada. She was, not only the first female Prime Minister, but also the first female student council president of the Prince of Wales Secondary School as well as the first female freshman president at the University of British Columbia. Kim Campbell set a wide example for many females in the late 1900s by also becoming the first female Justice Minister in Canada. She was always interested in the political area and attended University of British Columbia (U.B.C) majoring in political science. In 1980, she went back to U.B.C and studied law. She was also elected to the Vancouver School board as a trustee and served for four years (Bliss 48). Although woman were beginning to play more active roles in society, the few who had succeeded were harassed and discriminated by fellow male colleagues and especially the ones who disapproved of their appointments and preferred traditional beliefs that women were inferior. On Murphy’s first day at court Eardley Jackson, a lawyer, confronted Murphy’s authority and stated that women were not considered “persons” in the British North American (BNA) Act. Under Section 24 it stated that: “The Governor General shall, from time to time, in the Queen’s name, by Instrument under the Great Seal of Canada, summon qualified persons to the Senate…” (Cochrane 46). Similar cases happened in Alice Jamieson’s, also a magistrate, court and thus began the “Persons Case”. Agnes Macphail gave women in Canada hope that one day they would become equals, with equal rights. She cleared a path for generations of women to follow. She made history as the first woman to become a member of parliament, but more importantly she was known for her strong battle for national welfare. She spoke hard, not only for woman but also for Canadian people as a whole. She set an unmistakable example to many women and was a role model for many young females. Her struggles against the majority of the community never stopped her from achieving the things that she did and is gratefully recognized for her attributions in society. Her actions helped Kim Campbell become Canada’s first female Prime Minister.
Some topics in this essay:
Emily Murphy,
Minister Canada,
Agnes Macphail,
,
Women… Internet,
Prime Minister,
Age Pensions,
Case” Evans,
Canada Conservative,
Cape Breton,
prime minister,
emily murphy,
agnes macphail,
female prime minister,
minister canada,
political career,
canada’s female,
female prime,
brown video,
british columbia,
kim campbell,
prime minister canada,
run prime minister,
canada’s female prime,
active political career,
Join now to see the rest of the essay!
Approximate Word count = 2902
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page double spaced)
More Essays on Struggle for Equity Professional Papers: |
CUSTOMER SERVICES
|
|
Saved Papers
You haven't saved any papers.
|