Agnes Macphail: The Struggle For Women's Equality

Over several decades, Canadian women have greatly exceeded and made several advancement in earning women’s equality. Agnes MacPhail was a strong determined woman. At a young age, Macphail disliked housework and preferred helping her father with the farm livestock. She had longed for a life outside the farm work and hoped to attend school. However, Agnes’ family was in dire need for help to support the farm. She took action and never lost hope as she pleaded for two years for her parent's approval to go to school. With persistence and hope she gained their permission to start an education. Several women have shown phenomenal strength and conquered challenges to achieve equality. Women lived in a male-dominated society; however after 1914, Canadian

In the early 19th century women were unable to vote. In order to ensure the votes for the forthcoming election, Robert Borden passed the Wartime Elections Act and the Military Voters Act. “Women got the federal vote in three stages: the Military Voters Act of 1917 allowed nurses and women in the armed services to vote; the Wartime Election Act extended the vote to women who had husbands, sons or fathers serving overseas; and all women over 21 were allowed to vote as of January 1, 1919.” (“Recruitment” par. 3). It was a new opportunites for women as it was the first time women across Canada were allowed voting rights and a chance to have their voices heard. In the early 19th century, women were not permitted to participate or watch the olympic events for it was unacceptable for married women to watch naked male athletes. Athletes required long hours of training and at the time women did not have the leisure times to get trained. Gradually in decades later, women had their own sporting events such as the Hera Games and finally were able to participate in Olympics. Seven Canadian women participated in the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics: one swimmer as well as six sprinters who were dubbed the “The Matchless Six.” They were Bobbie Rosenfeld, Jean Thompson, Ethel Smith, Mrytle Cook, Ethel Catherwood, and Florence Bell (“Women” par.6). Throughout history men and boys were granted rights to attain an education whereas only a minor number of girls attended school while the rest were to stay at home completing household tasks. In early 1850’s, University of McGill’s principal reported his regret for not opening doors to women students but as decades progressed women started to attend school. By 1917 women outnumbered men in the Faculty of Arts of McGill University (“McGill” par. 9).These new opportunities such as access to voting, participating in the Olympics and receiving education were only few of the