I am not quite in the age bracket that made up the leading edge of “second-wave feminism”, most commonly referred to as the Women’s Liberation Movement, but I am certainly old enough to have experienced blatant on-the-job sexual harassment, and the gender-based glass ceiling. I have been in a job interview where the male employer expressed interest in hiring me and then placed his hand on my thigh. “Libbers” were looking for equal pay, educational and job opportunities, the right to govern their own bodies, and financial and legal independence. Are you aware that, in Canada, it wasn’t until 1961 that the very first financial institution in Canada offered mortgages to women without a male co-signer! And, in 1964, women could open a bank account without their husband’s signature. In 1971, maternity leave benefits were added to EI and in 1978, you could no longer be laid off or fired if you became pregnant.
We have come a long way but there is still much further to go. As a women entrepreneur/small business owner working in a field that many consider “traditional women’s work” (knitting and weaving), I have dealt with ingrained bias. I have been told that my studio is such a cute little she-shed. It is not a “she-shed”, it is my bread and butter, what keeps a roof over my head, food on my table and clothes on my back. I’m quite certain that comments such as these were not purposefully meant to be belittling. But it stings nonetheless. Can you even imagine if a woman were to go into a male-owned business and comment that they have an adorable little man-cave?
We have come a long way but there is still much further to go. As a women entrepreneur/small business owner working in a field that many consider “traditional women’s work” (knitting and weaving), I have dealt with ingrained bias. I have been told that my studio is such a cute little she-shed. It is not a “she-shed”, it is my bread and butter, what keeps a roof over my head, food on my table and clothes on my back. I’m quite certain that comments such as these were not purposefully meant to be belittling. But it stings nonetheless. Can you even imagine if a woman were to go into a male-owned business and comment that they have an adorable little man-cave?
As a woman entrepreneur, I am proud to say that, in Canada, women entrepreneurs drive economic growth and sustainability. Women-owned businesses focus more on innovation and environmental sustainability than men-owned businesses.
In “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, the narrator and central character Offred is told by her Commander that, to create a better society and a better world, some things will be made worse for some people. If you have been at all tuned in to the news in the last few weeks, you will no doubt recognize the parallels to what is occurring today. The elite in Gilead (formerly the US) turned away from economic freedoms which, in turn, makes it more difficult to fight the oppressors. However, to summarize Rosemarie Fike who wrote an article entitled “What the Handmaid’s Tale Can Teach Us About Gender Inequality”, a society that turns away from economic freedom embraces an economic system inconsistent with human flourishing, and this should ultimately hasten its downfall.
In “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, the narrator and central character Offred is told by her Commander that, to create a better society and a better world, some things will be made worse for some people. If you have been at all tuned in to the news in the last few weeks, you will no doubt recognize the parallels to what is occurring today. The elite in Gilead (formerly the US) turned away from economic freedoms which, in turn, makes it more difficult to fight the oppressors. However, to summarize Rosemarie Fike who wrote an article entitled “What the Handmaid’s Tale Can Teach Us About Gender Inequality”, a society that turns away from economic freedom embraces an economic system inconsistent with human flourishing, and this should ultimately hasten its downfall.
Picture courtesy of Medicine Hat News
We are seeing Project 2025 come to fruition in the US. We are seeing American economic freedoms being stripped away through protectionist strategies that are damaging to both Canada and the US. We are seeing the elitist US government state that “on the authority of the USA”, they have the right to eject Gazans from their country and turn Gaza into the Arabian Riviera. The current American administration has renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and wants to buy Greenland, renaming to Red, White and Blueland (no, I can’t make this ridiculousness up!). And, of course, we can’t forget that the US elites want Canada to become the 51st state in order to gain full access to our wealth of oil, natural gas, fresh water, critical minerals.
Canadians are a strong, proud and feisty people. We will not kiss the ring, nor will we become a part of Gilead. We must continue to be united. And – we must ensure that, at the next federal election, we do not vote for a party and a party leader who is receiving very vocal support from those same elitists who are destroying the American democracy.
Canadians are a strong, proud and feisty people. We will not kiss the ring, nor will we become a part of Gilead. We must continue to be united. And – we must ensure that, at the next federal election, we do not vote for a party and a party leader who is receiving very vocal support from those same elitists who are destroying the American democracy.
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