SOCIAL STUDIES ELEVEN DIGITAL HANDBOOK: CANADIAN IDENTITY - GUIDING QUESTIONS AND REPRESENTATIONS : Women in Canadian Society

Guiding Questions:
• In which ways have women made specific
contributions to the social fabric of Canada?
• How has their role changed during the last
century? What events influenced these
changes?
• Where have Canadian women made
advancements in their economic and legal
status? ("Famous Five" and the Persons Case)
• Which forces have led Canadian women to
become involved in organizations to promote
their rights and status?
• Have all the changes been of benefit to
women and to society as a whole? (Economic Gender Indicators)
• What challenges do women currently face
compared to the past?

Suggested Representations:
• Create a timeline or a concept web that identifies
significant contributions and achievements of
Canadian women in shaping our social attitude
toward gender equality and their role in the economic
and industrial growth that has occurred in Canada
throughout the last century. Include the suffrage
movement, women's participation in world wars at
home and overseas, prohibition, involvement in
politics, participation in the workforce, the feminist
movement, affirmative action initiatives, and
significant achievements in the arts, sciences, and
athletics.
• Create a speech you would make as a speaker in the
1960s appearing before the Royal Commission on the
Status of Women, outlining challenges for a woman to
reach her potential. Indicate what you feel women
and government need to do to correct this situation.
• Interview several women in various occupations
within the community. Interview questions should
seek to identify challenges that exist specifically for
women (e.g., opportunities for promotion, job
expectations, salary, and interactions with co-workers
and subordinates). Also ask questions to determine
the challenges women experience balancing career,
home, and child rearing.
• Using information obtained from the interview and
research on the role of women in our society, create an
opinion statement (argumentative essay), a drama
presentation, or a debate that addresses the resolution
that: "Gender equality for women has not been
attained."