Women's Rights Before 1914
What sphere were women mostly expected to stay in before the suffrage movement took place? What responsibilities came with this?
Women were expected to stay in the domestic sphere and take care of the home, family, and child-rearing.
What group of women is credited for fighting for the legal recognition of women as "persons"?
The Famous Five!
What was the Komagata Maru?
A Japanese steamship that carried passengers from India to Canada in 1914.
What is an example of a push and pull factor?
Push factors - social, political, economic reasons people leave their country: seeking asylum (feeling unsafe in one’s own country due to a fear of persecution or serious threat - war, oppressive regimes, genocide, human rights violations, etc.); natural disasters and climate change; political corruption or instability.
Pull factors - social, political, economic reasons people choose to move to a new country: economic opportunities (i.e. jobs, business growth, acquiring land); educational opportunities; marriage and relationships; overall quality of life.
What was Clifford Sifton's Immigration Campaign called and who were the target demographic?
What is are three legal rights that women did not have before the suffrage movement?
- voting
- owning property/wages
- serving on juries
- running for office
- entering most professions in the public sphere
Who founded the Canadian Women's Suffrage Association?
Dr. Emily Stowe
Which Canadian city became the focal point of protests and legal disputes after the Komagata Maru was denied entry in 1914?
Vancouver, BC!
Which provinces expanded rapidly due to immigration between 1896-1914?
The Prairie provinces: Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta
Which law originally excluded women from being recognized as persons?
The British North America Act
Why were women considered "dependents" in the early 1900s?
They had to rely on male family members for legal and financial decisions as they were not legally recognized as people.
1. Emily Murphy
2. Nellie McClung
3. Irene Parlby
4. Louise McKinney
5. Henrietta Muir Edwards
Why was it significantly harder for Indian immigrants to travel to Canada? (Hint: think laws/policies)!
The Continuous Journey Regulation - it required individuals to travel by direct route from their departing country to Canada. This made it increasingly difficult for South Asian Immigrants.
How did immigration policies during this time directly affect Indigenous peoples?
Which court ruled in favour of women gaining legal status as persons?
The Privy Council
Explain how gender roles helped justify laws that limited women's rights.
Society believed women belonged at home and were unfit for public or political life. Gender roles reinforced women staying at home and being responsible for most of the domestic labour.
Why was Emily Murphy denied her position as a judge at first?
Women were not considered legal "persons" under the law.
How did the South Asian community in Vancouver respond to the denial of entry of the Sikh passengers aboard the Komagata Maru?
They formed the Shore Committee to protest the government's decision on behalf of the passengers.
What is the Chinese Immigration Act and what were the duties (costs) associated?
In what year did Indigenous women obtain the right to vote in federal elections WITHOUT having to give up treaty rights or status?
1960
How did limiting women to the domestic sphere also limit their political power?
It excluded them from decision making spaces (typically the public sphere) where laws and policies were created.
Why is it important to recognize that the Famous Five did not represent all women?
Indigenous and racialized women were excluded from the early legal gains.
Explain how the Komagata Maru shows systemic racism in Canadian law.
Laws were designed to exclude specific racial groups while appearing neutral.
Why did giving the government more power over immigration increase discrimination?
Decisions could be made arbitrarily without court review.
Explain one similarity between the Women's Suffrage Movement and the Komagata Maru Incident. (Hint: think about the affected groups, and laws or policies).
Both incidents show how laws and policies were used to exclude certain groups from rights and opportunities. Both groups of individuals face systemic racism/sexism today.