I love to feature
strong women in my stories, as I have in Tomorrow at Daybreak. Although the women in this novel are guided by
the social mores of that time (1879), the 1800’s did indeed see a “groundswell of change” by way of organized movements regarding
women’s rights.
❧ Really? No pants? ❧
Strong women have made
great strides in achieving many rights and freedoms, such as workplace equality
to name but one crucial step forward, but some of those rights are so basic
it’s a wonder they were denied in the first place. Some of us may even take for
granted freedoms that were unavailable to us not so long ago in terms of world
history. On that list, and a mere drop in the bucket when more important accomplishments
are considered, was the freedom for women to wear pants in terms of everyday
acceptance. As unbelievable as that may sound, it wasn’t until as recently as
the 1960’s and 1970’s that that hurdle was cleared, and pants quickly became
mainstream fashion.
Now this one I remember. I recall very well
when the message came from head office (1970’s) that female employees were
being given permission to wear dress pants in the ofice. I was still a teenager
and so over the moon with that announcement I went home at lunch hour and found
pants that would be considered suitable, although I was pushing the envelope a
bit with pale blue brushed denim. There were strict guidelines to this
pants-wearing experiment though. The top paired with the pants had to be long
enough to fall well below the butt. In other words, a dress over the dress
pants. Hilarious! Anyway, I wore a navy-blue mini dress over my pants and away
I went back to the office. I remember being so excited because up until then only
dresses, or skirts with blouses/sweaters were acceptable.
When one of the older salesmen came into
the office after lunch that day and saw me in my new regulation getup, he was
so taken aback we thought he was going to pass out. He actually put his hand to
his chest and was making sounds like he couldn’t breathe because he was so outraged
I would dare come into a public place dressed like that!
❧ It’s hard to believe the
police were involved ❧
Interestingly, the women forbidden to wear pants
thing was carried out more strenuously in some parts of the world
(funfactfriyay.com):
“… for over 200 years, it was illegal to wear
pants in Paris. An antiquated law enacted on November 17, 1800 had forbade
women from putting trousers on and then showing said style to the world. While
these were a cool form of political protest for men, women had to request
police permission to wear trousers. And even then, there needed to be some sort
of medical or professional reason…”
Strict female dress codes are still rigidly
enforced in various locations globally, and the no pants rule was driven for
the most part by religious ideoloy, as are many things.
Historically there have been countless
restrictions on women, not just in terms of clothing, and Worldhistory.org
offers some fascinating insights into the matter. Interestingly though, during
at least one period in history men and women found themselves on equal footing:
“The lives of women
in the Middle Ages were determined by the Church and the aristocracy. The medieval
church provided the 'big picture' of the meaning of life and one's place while
the aristocracy ensured that everyone stayed in their respective places through
the feudal system that divided society into three classes: clergy, nobility,
and serfs.
“Women's place in the clergy was restricted to the nunnery. Noble
women's positions were dictated by how much land they brought to marriage
because land equaled power; therefore the quality of life and opportunities for
autonomy could vary significantly among the upper class. Women of the lowest
class actually had more freedom of expression than the other two because life
was uniformly difficult for the serfs – male or female – and women worked
alongside men in the fields and in the medieval guilds as equals or
near-equals.”
The biggest single breakthrough in terms of women’s rights is
without question winning the right to vote. It was an enormous accomplishment in
its fullest context, the refusal of it prior to 1920 far more restrictive than
it might seem at the outset. Says Historyofrights.ca:
“The process of state formation included the unequal treatment of the
nation’s female citizens, which was pervasive and entrenched in law. Women were
denied the right to vote and were unable to become legislators, coroners,
magistrates, or judges; they were also unable to sit on juries. They lost more
than their last name when they married: they lost all status in civil law and
could not own property or keep their own wages. In 1905 a Supreme Court judge
in New Brunswick, reflecting on the role of women in society, explained that
“the paramount destiny and mission of women are to fulfil the noble and benign
offices of wife and mother. This is the law of the Creator.” Yet women were
denied custodial rights over children. Also, criminal law was rife with double-standards.
In the case of divorce, for instance, men had only to prove adultery whereas
women had to prove adultery as well as desertion without reason, extreme
cruelty, incest, or bigamy. Marital rape was unknown, not because it never
happened but because it was not against the law. Discriminatory laws touched on
almost every aspect of women’s lives: birth (infanticide), childhood
(maintenance, child custody), work (labour laws, professions), courtship
(seduction, marriage), sexual relations (rape, prostitution), marriage
(property, citizenship, naming), parenting (maternity leave, abortion,
adoption, legitimacy), divorce or separation (maintenance, child custody,
pensions, desertion), and death (inheritance).”
We have certainly made
significant progress considering that it was only in 1929 that Canada declared women
as persons! (“The British Privy Council declared that women are ‘persons’ and
could therefore be appointed to the Senate of Canada”). But the march forward
continues. Here are some other notable dates in Canadian history with regard to
milestones realized for women’s rights:
that all (including indigenous) women were given the right to vote in
1960. “Until the Canada Elections Act was enacted in 1960, First Nations women
could not vote unless they had lost or given up their treaty rights or Indian
status”); Women’s rights were enshrined in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms
in 1981, Canadian Human Rights Commission recommends a pay equity system in
2001; First gender-balanced Cabinet in Canadian history was announced in 2015
and in 2022, the endorsement of the National Action Plan to end gender-based
violence, which was of course “a significant step towards gender equality”.
(Canada.ca)
Women continue to
make great strides through hard-fought battles for change, but equity issues still
exist today. In some parts of the world women experience crushing
discrimination because of profound, systemic gender bias. Much work remains,
but importantly, we should value what has been accomplished and recognize what
was sacrificed to do so.
❧ Oh no she didn’t? What! ❧
Looking
back, I had occasion as a freelance reporter to interview women working in
non-traditional roles, and the stories of some of those women were deeply
touching. Like the woman who dreamed of becoming an engineer but as a post-secondary
student, found university acceptance greatly restricted in terms of gender at
that time. So she became a nurse instead. She lived long enough to become an
engineer in the second half of her life, however her role in that capacity was
still considered non-traditional in the mid 1990’s in New Brunswick.
One
young woman I spoke with while conducting interviews for that newspaper special
section was very critical of this “Women in Non-traditional Roles” series despite
the fact she’d agreed to participate. I’m guessing it was only to set the
record straight. She wasted no time informing me that being a woman had not
stopped her in any way from realizing her career goals.
“I
suppose all of those older women are telling you how hard it was for them in
the old days,” she said, “but they did not pave the road for me!”
“No,”
I suggested, “in most cases they built the road.”
She
disagreed of course, although in story after story there were honest accounts
of the very real roadblocks women faced on so many levels. But they’d
persevered, broken down those barriers and without question made it easier for
those who came after them.
Lasting
change is brought about by those with the strength of character to take action,
and persevere. To not acknowledge their courage and celebrate the significance
of their accomplishments, is an injustice. Like that young woman who refused to
acknowledge the very real educational barriers that once existed and were
overcome so that countless others could gain from that success, or me as a
young woman who didn’t grasp how incredibly valuable was my right to vote.
Here
are some interesting and empowering quotes to finish with, compliments of
compassroseinternational.org:
“I do not wish women to have power over men, but over
themselves.” – Mary Wollstonecraft
“The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who’s
going to stop me.” – Ayn Rand
“Women belong in all places where decisions are being
made.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“Feminism isn’t about making women strong. Women are
already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.”
– G. D. Anderson
“The most common way people give up their power is by
thinking they don’t have any.” – Alice Walker.
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