Womens Rights in the 20th Century

Womens Rights in the 20th Century Throughout the history of the human race, women have been chastised, degraded and completely controlled by their male counterparts. Women have been oppressed and controlled without any room for retaliation. Whether it be an over-bearing father or an abusive husband, women had barely any say in what happened to them. They were housewives and child-bearers first and human beings second. Only during the 20th century did women make the most considerable progressions towards gender equality. Opportunities arose and women seized them, grasped for them; and used them to their full potential. Inter-related events throughout the 20th century allowed women to progress and they provided the necessary pushes towards gender equality. The women of the 20th century are responsible for the rise of gender equality in Canada The role of women in World war one (WW1), the Persons Case and the Famous five the first wave of feminism were important turning points in the beginning of the century as well as the roles of women in World War 2, their changing roles, and the actions of Agnes MacPhail which all lead to the second wave of feminism that instigated the alteration of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The beginning of the century was extremely important to the proclamation of gender Equality. It introduced Women as important figures in society and that they could make as much of a contribution to the world as men. Women participated in World War 1 and helped with the war effort; they combated womens rights on a legal scale for the first time via the Persons Case and sparked the first wave of feminism. Women sewed socks and attire for the men in the war and prevented them from suffering from diseases such as trench foot and they provided money for the war effort as well as took care of the children back at home; some women even worked in factories to make sure the economy was stable in Canada. In fact, by 1914, almost 20% of the workforce was female (Hundey and Margarry, 45). Almost 2400 nurses worked near the horrific battlefields in World War 1 and provided aid for the injured men (Santor, 36). These were important contributions because they gave women a base to fight with; they showed their capability and that they were not helpless individuals. This displayed that women could make just as much contributions to the world as men. Robert Bordens promise to allow women to vote after the war was important in starting the first wave of feminism because women could now vote. It allowed them to make a legitimate say in what occurred in the government by voting who becomes the leader of the government. In the beginning, it only permitted them to vote if they had husbands in the war or if they were participating in the war by being nurses. This eventually escalated to them being able to vote without complications which sparked the first wave of feminism. The first wave of feminism included the flapper movement which emancipated them from the bonds of traditional womanhood through the scandalous clothing and makeup (Hundey and Margarry, 118-119) also the previous events of World War 1 had more women going into the workforce. Women no longer had to have husbands to b e self-sustainable, independent women. Unfortunately, women did not earn as much as men and at the end of World War 1 were expected to step down from their jobs for men (Hundey and Margarry, 45). Regardless, some women proved that they were capable and even fought for womens rights more intensively. The first step into legal battles against gender equality was initiated by the famous five through the Persons Case. Famous women like Emily Murphy and Nellie Mclung petitioned and fought a legal battle to have women be considered as qualified persons recognizing their right to education and work, relinquishing them of their ambiguous person status (Historica). This was a vital step in setting up the stage for the Charter of Rights because it recognized women as legitimate members of society. Women tried hard to promote gender equality and it paid off. The efforts of the women in the beginning of the 20th century were the women who would be the initial instigators of the re-evaluation of the Charter of Rights and freedoms. At the start of World War 2 women had a chance to portray themselves as the useful and needed members they were of Canadian society. f They were not incapable second-class citizens. Women throughout the 1930s and World War 2(WW2) participated in World War 2, changed the role of women and portrayed their commitment to politics through Agnes MacPhail. Women played a pivotal role in World War 2 because the participated in directing planes in the RAF as well as cooking, cleaning and supporting the men in military bases, over 46,000 Canadian women were enrolled in military services (Hundey and Margarry, 221-222). On the home front, everyone relied on women to work and to take care of their children. Many women took care of the children back at home and worked in factories in order to provide munitions for the military, by 1944 1 million Canadian women were in the Canadian workforce (Hundey and Margarry, 221-222). Unfortunately, it seems like women made no advancement in the public mind be cause people still expected women to drop their jobs for men when they came back from the war but even so women kept fighting (Hundey and Margarry, 223). However, just like in WW1, it continued to give women a base to fight with. They used their participation to accentuate their contributions and once again to prove that they should not be enslaved to lives as housewives and child-bearers. By participating in WW2, women proved their worth once again and they had sewn the seeds for a new wave of feminism (Hundey and Margarry, 223). Women finally began to challenge their roles in society and began going into higher level careers as well as entering into politics, they had begun developing more community organizations and services for women (Hundey and Margarry, 223; Anderson). The Role of women was changing throughout World War 2 and they were slowly becoming accepted participants of the workforce. Although their wages were still minimal they were presenting themselves as a capable mi nority that was beginning to work in professions such as Medicine and Law. Agnes Macphail was the first female senator and the first woman with a political position in Canada. Although her term was short, she made contributions to feminist movements by constantly writing articles and performing at speeches (Hundey and Margarry, 129-130, Doris Anderson). Although she did not actively participate in womans suffrage she was good friends with suffragists like Nellie McLung and was a role model for women all throughout Canada (Anderson). By the mid 1940s, women were still fighting for gender equality; they did not forsake the efforts of the women who strived before them and instead built upon the efforts of those who had started the surge of gender equality. The second wave of feminism was an international surge of all women in the world that promoted gender equality. By the 1960s women were fed up with their conditions, they felt like they were treated as second class citizens because wages were going up, unemployment rates were going down, but women were still considered lesser to men (Bellamy, Liz, and Kate Moorse, 73) and therefore started the second wave of feminism or the Womens Liberation Movement (Hundey and Margarry, 277-278). Women finally had the resources to strongly campaign for gender equality: they had the media, television, radio as well as constantly increasing literacy and education rates for women (Bellamy, Liz, and Kate Moorse, 73). The second wave of feminism would be the final push needed to seal the deal with gender equality. In response, the Royal Commission on the Status of Women was created in order to recommend steps towards womens equality (Hundey and Margarry, 341) and was important because it gave a layout a s to how the Charter of Rights and freedoms would be altered in the upcoming years. The Royal Commission made sure that in the 1970s discriminatory employment on the basis of gender was illegal and it gave recommendations towards how gender equality would be achieved (Anderson). All of these events, in conjunction were crucial in battling the government to change the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. By the 1980s women were still frustrated because they were not considered equal, even though 45% of the workforce was female at this point, women only earned 72% of what men earned (Colyer et al. 32) it was evident that the RCAW was not helping and it was time for a change. It was a turning point in the century because the constitution was the highest law in Canada and no government was allowed to violate it to the point where a government that did could be struck down (Colyer et al., 377) and in 1982 the constitution was finally changed to include sex in the following passage Every indiv idual is equal before and under the law without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.(Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Section 15[1]). Women had finally achieved what they rightly deserved. Their intense lobbying managed to push the government to change the Charter of Rights and Freedoms which was considered the highest law in Canada, it was a pivotal moment for women but it could not have been achieved without the struggles prior to it. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms made sure that women had completely equal rights in all aspects and any violation of it could be challenged in court as an offense towards human rights. Women had succeeded in triumphing over the gender boundary that had kept them chained for millennia. They put a stop to the battle of the sexes and legally introduced gender equality through the Canadian charter of Rights and freedoms, the most vital document in the history of g ender equality. In conclusion, the women of the 20th century and their actions were indubitably the prime forces in the rise of gender equality. The 20th century was the turning point for how women would live their lives. It is sad to imagine that prior to the 20th century women were confined to being wives, child-bearers and basically objects for a mans desires. This has all changed thanks to the efforts of women through all the events that occurred. The role of women in World War 1, the first wave of feminism and the Persons Case as well as the role of women in World War 2, Agnes Macphail and the changing role of women were all events that set the playing field and boosted the status of women in society to have the required edge to begin the second wave of feminism that would lead to the Charter of Rights being changed once and for all. Through all of time women were oppressed, manipulated and used and it is only now that they finally get the opportunity to flourish and succeed in an equal and fai r country, Canada. Nonetheless, women had to work hard and fight for their right to be considered equal; Roseanne Barr once said that, The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power.ÂÂ   You just take it.

Witchcraft And Effects On Lite :: essays research papers

Witchcraft is a phenomenon that has captured the minds of millions since the beginning of history. These so-called witches have caused fear, hatred, interest, widespread panic, and a variety of other emotions in other people from all over the world. Every society and civilization on this planet have all some form of witchcraft in their history. Witchcraft itself has a deep history of its own causing it to be recognized in literature and modern society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First, witchcraft has a very fascinating history, which is fairly important to discuss. Because much of its history is shrouded in superstition and has not properly been recorded, its exact history is hard to explain. It is easier to see witchcraft as a mindset or belief than an organized institution. According to Montague Summers, 'witches can be described as heretics and anarchists,'; most of which follow the chief of demons, also known as the Devil. Obviously Mr. Summers, along with many other people, takes a pessimistic view towards the realm of witchcraft. Among these anti-witch enthusiasts was Henry VIII, who was the first king of England to pass Statute against the practice of witchcraft. Many kings who ruled after Henry VIII also created statutes against witchcraft. James I made one in 1604, which was repealed over a century later in 1736. Throughout the centuries in England, strict laws and numerous trials were held against suspected witches. Some of the more notable trials include the Chelmsford trials in 1566, 1579, and 1589, the trials in Lancashire in 1612, and the Staffordshire trials in 1597. Some cases even tried people posing as witches like Thomas Darling, John Smith, and William Perry. Many books had been written at the time about the subject of witchcraft like Demonology, Discovery of Witches, Discovery of Witchcraft, and Dr. Lamb's Darling. (Wysiwyg://7/http://www.geocities.com/Athens/2962/witchcraze/time_england.html)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Second, witchcraft is recognized around the world through its appearance in literature. Many well-known examples of a wide variety of witches can be found throughout literature. Many of these literary works include The Wizard of Oz, which not only has one witch but two: Glenda the Good Witch and The Wicked Witch of the West. These two witches seem to represent some of the many views of witches. Glenda takes on the view of a fairy godmother, a type of witch that only has good intentions and poses no harm to anyone. But, wicked witch poses as the stereotypical halloweenish view of a witch: an old, ugly, ill-hearted, broomstick riding, spell-casting, evil, maniacal woman.

Leading to the Modern Woman

I have read numerous things that say men are the superior gender but after all of this research and learning the stuff that I have, I think that women are the superiors. Women have learned to overcome a lot of obstacles through the years and have come out for the better. We are still improving the rights of women, we have come a long way and will keep moving forward. Neal, R. S. Working -Class Women and Women's Suffrage Labor History, No. 12 (May 1967) up. 16/34 ASTOR database) This Journal entry talks about the emancipation of women.The Journal states that historian says â€Å"It was during the industrial revolution moreover, and largely one because of the economic opportunities it afforded to working-class women, that here was the beginning of that most important and most beneficial of all social revolutions of the last two centuries, the emancipation of women. † I think this Journal will help with my paper because women found a way to get over the obstacles in their lives a nd being emancipated was one of the first obstacles. Tyler-McGraw, Marie, Parlor Politics: Women and Reform. 890-1925, Page 260 of 260-264 ASTOR database) The Journal of American History, Volvo 78, No. 1 None, 1991) This Journal is about and exhibition at the Smithsonian Museum. This exhibition links female dominated areas such as the parlors, tenement rooms, and the talented houses. This exhibition is good for my research because it covers the thirty-five year period of women reform. Johnson, Karen A. The Journal of African American History, Volvo. 91, No. 1. The African American Experience in the Western States (Winter, 2006) up 4-22, Undaunted Courage and Faith: The lives of Three Black Women in the West and Hawaii in the Early 19th Century.ASTOR database) Three African American women are written about in this article. These three women talk about how African American women participated in movements for politics, ideological and social currents. They also talk about how this chan ged lives for African American people and other westerners. I chose article for one of my references because I think African American women had a rough life. When they were able to move onto their own land and prosper, they showed spunk and showed they were not giving up. Golden, Claudia, D.The Role of World War II in the Rise of Women's Employment, The American Economic Review, Volvo 81, No. 4 (Seep, 1991) up 741-756 ASTOR database) I found this article interesting. It talks about the sass's is the break with the past that war actually women needed. A lot of women that entered the work force during the stopped working at the conclusion of the war. There are some statistics in this article that I also found interesting in my research McCarty, Mary A, A Strange Stirring: The Feminine Mystique and American Women at the Dawn of the asses by Stephanie Cocoon (review) Journal of Social History, Volvo. 6 No. 4 summer 2013, up 1068-1070 This Journal is a review of the book The Feminine Mys tique by Betty Friedman. The book talks about â€Å"the problem that has no name†, the beliefs that undermine women's intellectual capabilities and kept them in the home as housewives. Friedman wrote this book in a time when the average woman first married in her teens and if they were in school 60 percent of them dropped out to marry. I find this book a good reference because it talks about an important part of women's history.This is the 50th anniversary of this book, I am going to the library tomorrow to find it. I think it will be interesting to see how she wrote about it all and how times have changed. Patton, June O. Review: Essay Review l: African American Women, Civil Rights and Black Power, Sisters in the Struggle: African American Women in the Civil Rights- Black Power Movement by Betty Collier-Thomas, V. P. Franklin ASTOR database) This is a review of the original article (l am looking for it tomorrow at the library well).It explores the civil rights activities of black women's organizations before 1950. There are several African American women covered and I find that they are influential to our history. Atwater, Deborah, F. Editorial: The Voices of African American Women in the Civil Rights Movement, Journal of Black Studies, Volvo 26 No. 5, Special Issue: May 1996, up 539- 542 I picked this article in my research because I think that learning about our history room people that actually experienced it is the best way to learn it.

Confidantes, Marriage, and Friendship in Pride and...

One cannot accomplish much without the help and opinions of people such as their friends, siblings, or parents. This person, or confidante, must be willing to listen to and provide helpful thoughts and feedback. In Pride and Prejudice, a novel by Jane Austen, Elizabeth Bennet is a heroine who is in desperate need of a confidante. Jane Bennet, Elizabeth’s kind and honest sister, becomes that person Lizzy needs when she is feeling flustered. Jane perfectly fits the criteria of a confidante because she is optimistic and sanguine, in which she can provide Elizabeth a different, more positive, approach to her problems. The author uses Jane Bennet to portray a paradigm of a young lady in England during that time period, where marriages depended†¦show more content†¦Although it may seem to the reader that Jane is idealistic or dishonest, she really says what is on her mind. Jane truly believes all people are good-spirited and that she will never be deceived by anyone. In thi s way, the author uses Jane Bennet to give the reader a different perspective of a certain character in the story: while Elizabeth is always criticizing the many characters in this novel, Jane is there to deliver a contradictory statement about those characters. Mr. Wickham reveals to Elizabeth that Mr. Darcy had prevented him from joining the ministry by refusing to supply the money Darcy’s father had intended to provide for Wickham. Upon hearing these revealing statements about Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth is appalled and outraged at how selfish a man can be. Elizabeth then relates to Jane about what she had discovered about Mr. Darcy but Jane provides her and the reader with a different, more optimistic point of view: â€Å"‘It is impossible. No man of common humanity, no man who had any value for his character, could be capable of it. Can his most intimate friends be so excessively deceived in him? Oh! no’† (Austen 74). Elizabeth’s decision to believe M r. Wickham originates her prejudice towards Mr. Darcy into the novel. However, in the end, the reader finds out that Jane had actually been correct in that Darcy can never have done such a horrible thing and that he had actually given Wickham the money his father left for him. Jane Bennet is the perfect example of what aShow MoreRelatedPlenary Session69346 Words   |  278 Pagesto the chase in any situation and not be sidetracked by non-essential issues. A propensity for leadership which follows naturally from their ability to control and manage real time/real world situations. A talent for factual analysis unbiased by prejudice or emotion. A â€Å"can do† approach to life which makes the working environment a positive place for them. A strong regard for positive social and economic institutions, structure and government. Second to none time and space management skills, everythingRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 Pagescrossing the 4 INTRODUCTION street to meet the new neighbor. We’ve conquered outer space but not inner space. We’ve done larger things but not better things. We’ve cleaned up the air but polluted the soul. We’ve split the atom but not our prejudice. We write more but learn less. We plan more but accomplish less. We’ve learned to rush but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever but have less communication. These are the times of fast foodsRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesbeen an important cause of rural-to-rural migration, including some flows that appear as international movements, such as those from Nepal to India and vice versa. These â€Å"marriage† or â€Å"associational† movements explain in part the preponderance of women in short-distance migration globally. But although short-distance marriage migration is still important in absolute numbers, it has decreased in relative terms during the last two centuries, as rural populations have declined as a proportion of the