WOMEN EQUALITY

10 QUESTIONS ON GENDER EQUALITY file://localhost/Users/nathanwillard/Documents/Nathan's Stuff/Teaching/Teaching - Surrey/Johnston Heights/Semester 1/Planning 10/Planning 10 - Nathan/4. Personal Health/F. Racism Discrimination Bullying/Women's Rights/WomenInTheWorldKnowYourFacts.pps

HOW WERE WOMEN SEEN? Male property Woman’s place- in the kitchen Working women- irresponsible or embarrassment Unwed mothers- stigmatized/shunned University- where to find a man

AND NOW… Decide if and when to have children Raise children on their own or with partner Suing employers for harassment/discrimination

REALITY Women still have a long way to go before attaining, economic parity, social equality, agenda setting powers and political power. Progress – yes Equality –no Stereotypes still exist: Women are perceived as passive, emotionally soft, and obsessed with appearances Men are perceived as assertive, ambitious, competitive and goal oriented

ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT GENDER Masculine Feminine active passive presence absence independent dependent organized scattered rational emotional logical illogical intellectualintuitive/imaginative

DOUBLE STANDARD Because of these assumptions about gender we have the following problems: Men have to renegotiate their relationship with women on the basis of equality. Men are not permitted to show emotions; they will be precluded from female- dominated professions. Discouraged from working with children and criticized by his male counter parts for being wimpy. Females are no longer seen as weak and vacillating rather seen as valuable team worker within the workplace. This has created an identity crisis, because men have lost their spot in the lime-light and they have to find themselves and what is expected of them.

THE MASCULINE MYSTIQUE

MASCULINE MYSTIQUE Men are entering the new century in a more uncertain position because of disempowerment at home and the workplace as a)women have seized more power, b)children are asserting rights, c)computers are taking their jobs, d)their value to society is eroded by technological advances, and e)their command and control skills are becoming obsolete in a global economy that emphasizes female skills.

EMPLOYMENT STATUS 46.7% of Canada’s labour force is comprised of women Nearly 58% of all adult women were in paid employment compared to only 24% in 1950 Gendered division of labour restricts women from higher paid “male” jobs. As a result women have a lower status and lower paid jobs Common trends in female jobs: Women are usually in occupations such as elementary teaching, nursing/health related jobs, secretaries and office clerks, or retail sales/service (including cashiers) Even though women have and continue to make advances in their careers they still spend more time than men in childcare and housework

INCOME EARNINGS Women earn 61% of what men earn. Women in full time employment earn around 70 cents for every dollar a man makes. Overall the most common occupations held by women are lower paying. Men are more likely to ask for a raise while women tend to not ask for what they deserve.

EDUCATION Women are outperforming men in math, writing and reading in Ontario primary schools. Women make up 58% of university graduates. Stigmas in University Faculties such as Computer Science and Engineering remain predominantly male. Women are predominantly in Arts and Social Sciences.

WOMEN’S RIGHT TO VOTE Women's suffrage had first been proposed in the 1870’s by Manitoba's early female leaders Mrs M.J. Benedictssen, Mrs A.V. Thomas, Dr Amelia Yeomans and Mrs J.A. McClung. J.A. McClung's daughter-in-law,Nellie McClung, took the torch from her mother and later became the Prairie movement on Women’s suffrage. McClung staged a popular mock reverse-role Parliament in McClung played the role as a female premier, debating whether or not men should get the vote. The event drew national attention. On 28 January 1916, Manitoba women became the first in Canada to win the rights to vote and to hold provincial office. They were followed by Saskatchewan on 14 March and Alberta on 19 April. British Columbia approved women's suffrage on 5 April 1917, and Ontario celebrated their hard-won victory one week later on 12 April.

PERSONS CASE IN CANADA The 1929 Persons' Case is one of the major achievements by Canadians for Canadians. The Famous 5 (Henrietta Muir Edwards, Nellie McClung, Louise McKinney, Emily Murphy and Irene Parlby) succeeded in having women defined as "persons" in Section 24 of the British North America Act and thereby, eligible for appointment to the Senate. This victory symbolized the right of women to participate in all facets of life, to "dream big" and to realize their potential. The Famous 5's petition requested the Governor General to direct the Supreme Court of Canada to consider whether women were eligible to become Senators under the British North America Act, the Act of British Parliament which governed the country at this time.

POLITICAL STATUS TODAY Very little representation of women in politics: There are 17.2 million females accounted for 50.4% of the total population. Out of 301 federal seats, only 76 of them are women (25% of the seats in parliament) There are 39 cabinet positions and 11 of them are females of which only 3 of the top 15 important positions are women.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 90% of domestic violence victims are women Criminal harassment by a spouse increased by 53% between

QUESTIONS You will be arranged into three groups, as a group you are to answer the following question. 1)Why are people Homophobic? 2)Why are people Racist? 3)Why are people Sexist?