Royal Commission on the Status of Women
Encyclopedia
The Royal Commission on the Status of Women was a Canadian
Royal Commission that examined the status of women
and recommended steps that might be taken by the federal government to ensure equal opportunities with men and women in all aspects of Canadian society. The Commission commenced on 16 February 1967 as an initiative of Primer Minister Lester B. Pearson
. Public sessions were conducted the following year to accept public comment for the Commission to consider as it formulated its recommendations. Florence Bird
was the Commission's chair.
The Commission discovered that:
In 1970 a report came out with 167 recommendations to ensure that men and women had equal opportunities. Some recommendations were...
As a result, the Commission helped establish an agenda of reform for women's-rights groups in the 1970's.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Royal Commission that examined the status of women
Women's rights
Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...
and recommended steps that might be taken by the federal government to ensure equal opportunities with men and women in all aspects of Canadian society. The Commission commenced on 16 February 1967 as an initiative of Primer Minister Lester B. Pearson
Lester B. Pearson
Lester Bowles "Mike" Pearson, PC, OM, CC, OBE was a Canadian professor, historian, civil servant, statesman, diplomat, and politician, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 for organizing the United Nations Emergency Force to resolve the Suez Canal Crisis...
. Public sessions were conducted the following year to accept public comment for the Commission to consider as it formulated its recommendations. Florence Bird
Florence Bird
Florence Bayard Bird, was a Canadian broadcaster, journalist, and Senator.Born Florence Rhein in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She attended Bryn Mawr College and, in 1928, married journalist John Bird. They moved to Montreal in 1931...
was the Commission's chair.
The Commission discovered that:
- in 1970 only 3.9% of managers were women
- although 8 out of 10 provinces had equal-pay laws, women were still paid less than men for doing the same work
- two thirds of people that were on welfare were women
In 1970 a report came out with 167 recommendations to ensure that men and women had equal opportunities. Some recommendations were...
- "gender" and "marital status" be prohibited as grounds for discriminationDiscriminationDiscrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
by employers - training programs offered by the federal government be made more open to women
- the federal government name more women judges to all courts within its jurisdiction
- more qualified women from each province be appointed to the Senate as seats became vacant, until a more equitable balance between men and women were achieved
- employed women be granted eighteen weeks of unemployment benefits for maternity leave.
- Birth control
- Pensions
- Day care
As a result, the Commission helped establish an agenda of reform for women's-rights groups in the 1970's.
Commissioners
The Commissioners appointed were:- Florence BirdFlorence BirdFlorence Bayard Bird, was a Canadian broadcaster, journalist, and Senator.Born Florence Rhein in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She attended Bryn Mawr College and, in 1928, married journalist John Bird. They moved to Montreal in 1931...
(chairperson) - Elsie MacGillElsie MacGillElizabeth Muriel Gregory "Elsie" MacGill, OC , known as the "Queen of the Hurricanes", was the world's first female aircraft designer. She worked as an aeronautical engineer during the Second World War and did much to make Canada a powerhouse of aircraft construction during her years at Canadian...
- Lola M. Lange
- Jeanne Lapointe
- Doris Ogilvie
- Donald R. Gordon, Jr (resigned from Commission)
- Jacques Henripin
- John Peters HumphreyJohn Peters HumphreyJohn Peters Humphrey, OC was a Canadian legal scholar, jurist, and human rights advocate. He is most famous as the author of the first draft of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights....
(appointed following Gordon's resignation)