What Impact Did Nellie Mcclung Make On Canadian Society?

The fight against sexism is not a new fight. Women have been fighting for equal rights, as well as fighting for their lives, culture, and values to be just as important as men's. On August 18, 1920, women were granted the right to vote; but this was only the beginning. From then to now, the role of women in society has significantly changed due to women standing up for their rights at protests and rallies, as well as on social media. While “The Good Wife’s Guide” focused on the promotion of the traditional gender role of women and defined appropriate emotions for women, “The Revolt of ‘Mother,’” by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, represents the start of the resistance of the traditional gender role of women that we see in society today.

For the longest time, women’s role in society was very narrow and set in stone. Women weren’t given the chance to decide life for their own, and there was a very sharp distinction of gender roles. Women were viewed as inferior, weak, and dependant. They were expected to be responsible for the family and maintainance of the house. But as the 19th century began, so did a drastic change in society. Women started voicing their opinions and seeking change. Trying to break away from this ideology called “cult of domesticity” was a lengthy, burdensome, and demanding struggle.

The 1920s were a brutal time for Canada and most countries in the world. The Great War had just ended and soldiers were coming home to no work and minimal food. While the male soldiers were gone fighting the war, females took their place in factories, manufacturing war equipment and doing regular work that normally men would do. When the surviving soldiers came back, they were furious and wanted work to make money so most of the women were kicked out and replaced by the men. Women were obviously not happy about this and fought to make a change. One of the most notable feminists and successful female suffragists in Canadian history is Emily Murphy. She fought alongside four other feminists to create equal legal recognition as males and succeeded;

Throughout most of history, men have had greater rights than women. In present days, the equality between men and women have improved, despite the fact that some countries are still striving to establish those same rights for both genders. Nellie McClung is a perfect example of a Canadian social activist who advocated for the rights of women throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. In this essay, I will examine the type of feminism she represented, in addition to the contribution of the Famous 5, as well as the depictions of the fight for suffrage and the stand for electoral office in order to demonstrate the impact and influence Nellie McClung had as a Canadian woman.

Rosemary Brown was a politician in Canada who worked tirelessly for the advancement of equality here. This quote shows her views and beliefs in her work; that equality was something that people must fight to achieve, then keep the opportunities and advancements open for those in the future. The fact that this was achieved in Canada makes the Women’s Movement defining in its importance. The progression Canada saw in the 1900s was important as firstly, the movement would have continuing effects on equality and culture in Canada. During the 1920s, women emphasized their efforts on social welfare policies, equal rights legislation, and the advancement of women in politics. The work of feminists during this time resulted in expanded rights for women in later years, proving again that the movement was important. Finally, due to the fact that women begun to play a major role in society, Canada saw prosperity economically and socially, displaying the necessity of the movement. So, due to the prevalent patriarchal values of the time, the women’s movement was necessary for improvement of Canada’s social, economic, and political climate in the 1900s.

Nellie McClung fought for the enfranchisement of women, which with its success would give women the right to vote. It was a movement to promote and secure women’s rights. Nellie was one of the first to sign a petition circulated in Manitou (*****-1981). The petition asked for the women’s right to vote. Nellie McClung advocated for women’s suffrage in order for women to gain power, privileges and a voice in their community and moreover, their country. Women’s suffrage was also a means of achieving other social reforms, such as temperance for example, which could be achieved through enfranchisement because women would vote for it. However, there were many people against women’s suffrage. They believed that, God never intended women to vote, it would break up the home and the world would be full of neglected children and women were meant to be mothers and nothing more (****McClung). As a suffragist, McClung took a stand against these ideologies of gender. In order to recognize women as citizens and give them the rights they deserved, such as the right to vote.

We have all heard the saying, “it’s a man’s world”. It appears that our world is governed according to a man’s perspective and thoughts as to how the world should be run, and women gracefully bow down to this perspective and internalize those male supremacist notions of patriarchal dominance. Even with this seemingly innate belief that men have, it is still apparent at times that there is another view that is often glossed over and ignored in the pursuit of extreme power and superiority. In Edwidge Danticat’s The Farming of Bones and Julia Alvarez’s In the Time of Butterflies, we are able to dissect society through the eyes of women who have had

In early years of Canada’s existence, women had very little rights to working and living in the same way that men did. Over the course of the 19th century, the slow process of gaining these rights began. The first large step in the 20th century for women was in 1916 when they were given the right to vote. Following this, in 1917 a law was created thats sets a minimum wage for women in Alberta, the first province in Canada to do this (http://ufcw.ca). Years after this, Agnes McPhail was the first woman to be elected to the house of commons, making her the first female MP. Finally, in 1929, women are recognized as ‘persons’ under the law, due to a group of five intelligent and strong women: Emily Murphy, Irene Parlby, Louise McKinney, Henrietta Edwards, and Nellie McClung (Aitken, 2000, 171). Nellie McClung had never been one to just accept the presence of gender roles, and she recalls when she was a child she would

The 20th century was a remarkable time when Canadian women took charge and achieved an immense leap into gender equality. It was also a time when women started to question the quality of their lives and face the harsh realities of being a woman in Canada. In this period, World War 1 was happening overseas but also women were fighting for their rights at home. Female suffrage during the early 1900’s: was the right for women to vote. Females during this era were considered to be worth less than men, and one way this was shown was through taking away women’s voting rights. Women during the early 1800’s were able to vote if they owned land or property, if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be legally considered a” person”. Also voting was considered a

The Women’s Movements played a crucial role in changing Canada’s Identity and helped it grow. Even though women make up half of the population, they still faced discrimination based on their gender. In the early 20th century, women were expected to stay at home and take care of the

(Gray, 2008) Her zest, her convictions, and her campaigns helped shape the Canada we live in today. But Nellie was not alone. She fought alongside other women – Cora Hind, Francis Beynon, Emily Murphy, and Louise McKinney – who played a full part and shared the credit. “Conservative Premier Roblin strongly opposed giving women the right to vote, and in 1914, Nellie McClung and her fellow reformers wanted to defeat him. They put on a play called “The Women’s Parliament,” a satire that turned the tables and poked fun at the dangers of giving men the right to vote”.

Women and men have had certain roles in society that were understood amongst them to be specified for their particular gender. Males were known to have the leading role as head of the house hold and the bread winner while the woman’s duty was to stay at home and take care of the house and children. While many people years ago deemed this way of life and practice to be the right and ethical thing to do, times have changed and so this kind of treatment towards a woman’s equality must be questioned. Even though times have changed, this mindset of a woman’s ability to be as good as a man has not completely gone away. In today’s society a woman contributes to the economy and her family as equally as that of a man. Therefore, women should share equal rights and opportunities as their gender counterparts.

Furthermore, women are often seen as a symbol of cultural preservation and a measure of family honor. In conditions of war and colonial rule, which represents an attack on men’s honor and dignity, attention to women’s roles as prescribed by cultural tradition is often intensified. However, the unusual conditions of war and resistance to colonial rule also may provide openings for women to reconfigure their roles and rights, based on new needs of society.

Throughout history and today, we women are constant victims of stereotyping from our society. Certain “rules” have to be followed and certain “ideal” women images have to be kept. We are raised in a way to fill certain position where the society wants us to be and as a result, the opportunities are always limited for us and ideas of our importance in the society are diminishing. Even though women gained some independence, where women can work and take various position in society, the society’s idea of typical role of women never seem to change.

Throughout history, women have been seen in many different lights. From a woman’s perspective she is strong, smart, helpful and equal to men. In the eyes of men, she is seen as the weaker being, the housewife, and the caretaker. By looking at the following pieces of writing, one can see that through the centuries, women have struggled to break out of the mold that man had put her in and make themselves known in society as important.