Happy International Women’s Day!
Today, March 8th is International Women’s Day (IWD), it’s a global day to recognize and celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women and girls.
The beginnings of IWD can be traced back to the early twentieth century. It emerged from labour movements in North America and Europe calling for the equal participation of women in society. The first IWD took place on March 19, 1911, in Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Austria. On that day, millions of women and men attended public events to demonstrate their support. The United Nations recognized 1975 as International Women’s Year, and countries around the world started celebrating March 8th as International Women’s Day.
In Canada there have been many trailblazing women creating change and fighting for equal rights and opportunities for all. Here is a timeline of the powerful women in Canada who created change:
- 1645: Jeanne Mance, founder of Canada’s first hospital
- 1813: Laura Secord, Canadian heroin of the War of 1812
- 1853: Mary Ann Shadd Cary, first Black newspaper women in North America
- 1867: Dr. Emily Stowe, first Canadian woman physician to practice in Canada
- 1875: Grace Annie Lockhart, pioneer of women’s university education
- 1897: Clara Brett Martin, Canada’s first woman lawyer
- 1903: Emma Baker, first woman to receive a Ph.D. from a Canadian University
- 1914 – 1918: First female officers served with the Canadian Army Medical Corps.
- 1916: Women in Manitoba became the first in Canada to win the right to vote
- 1917: Louise McKinney and Roberta MacAdams Price, first women elected to legislature in British Empire
- 1918: Some women were granted the right to vote in federal elections
- 1921: Agnes Macphail, first woman elected to the House of Commons
- 1924: Cecile Eustace Smith, first Canadian woman to represent Canada in Olympic Games
- 1927: The Famous Five, petitioners in the groundbreaking Persons Case
- 1929: Women were declared as ‘persons’
- 1941: Women’s Divisions are established in Army Corps and the Royal Canadian Navy
- 1954: Elsie Knott, first woman elected chief of a First Nations community
- 1960: All Canadian women given the right to vote
- 1967: The Royal Commission on the Status of Women was established
- 1969: Rejane Laberge-Colas, first woman appointed as a judge to a superior court
- 1970: Report of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women was tabled in Parliament
- 1971: The Canadian Labour Code was amended
- 1977: The Canadian Human Rights Act was created
- 1979: Nellie J. Cournoyea, first woman to serve as premier of a territory
- 1981: Women’s rights were enshrined in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms
- 1983: Jeanne Sauve, first woman to serve as Governor General of Canada
- 1987: Combat roles in the Royal Canadian Air Force are opened to women
- 1992: Dr. Roberta Bondar, first Canadian woman astronaut sent into space
- 1993: Jean Augustine, first Black Canadian woman elected to House of Commons
- 1993: Kim Campbell, first woman Prime Minister of Canada
- 1995: Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action was adopted
- 2001: Canadian Human Rights Commission recommends a pay equity system
- 2001: A task force to address pay equity was appointed
- 2004: The Standing Committee on the Status of Women was established
- 2009: Josee Kurtz, first woman to command a major Canadian warship
- 2012: Canada leads a successful international campaign at the United Nations to establish the International Day of the Girl
- 2015: First gender-balanced Cabinet in Canadian history was announced
- 2015: National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls was launched
- 2017: Canada took action against gender-based violence
- 2019: Karen Jensen, first-ever Canada’s Pay Equity Commissioner
- 2019: Final Report of National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls was released
- 2022: The endorsement of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence – a significant step towards gender equality
International Women’s Day is meant to raise awareness of all the work left to be done. Take the time to recognize the women who inspire you and renew the discussion about the importance of gender equality in Canada and around the world.
Have a great weekend,
Tracey & Paige
Sources:
https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwomen-gender-equality.canada.ca%2fen%2fcommemorations-celebrations%2finternational-womens-day.html&c=E,1,76INyhUUTs_tQs2LBIRfyseiuVuXd63e5f_n0i-ai6_M7FMrXoWX5k1ql8S1uGbwhONOyrokeivlqai5LvQz8N6nZVe8WMNj4BpAU54LSM6f1F4,&typo=1
Photo by Vonecia Carswell on Unsplash
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