Women have come a far way in our society today. They have gained our rights to vote, work, and to have a better image of being just as strong as male individuals. The women in Canada owe a great appreciation to the feminist groups for holding their beliefs and continuing to this day to have women’s rights acknowledged. As Mullaly (2007) says, “all schools of feminism attempt to identify the causes of gender inequality and to remedy it” (p. 161), as the major drive for feminist groups is to have women be treated more equally to men.
In March 2009 an article posted by the Council of Canadians with Disabilities says that feminists aren’t happy with the social welfare benefits that women are receiving. The article states that women’s “current EI sickness benefit only provides 15 weeks of coverage. CCD has been calling upon the Federal government to lengthen the coverage period to 52 weeks” (CCD, March 2009). Their main goal is to provide equality for person’s struggling with disabilities, and are very concerned with those who are most vulnerable. Women are classified as the more vulnerable because of the struggles they can face with the workplace, and home life, as well as many other inequalities in day to day life.
A woman in today’s society can have a great deal of difficulty trying to find and maintain a job, as still many jobs are biased to men. This is even harder when a woman is trying to look for a job, and at the same time has a physical disability. Feminists stress the importance of how different it is for women to have the same opportunities that a man may have in their lifetime, as Mullaly (2007) states, “Feminists draw attention to the fact that women experience a different social world- including the welfare state- than men” (p. 161).
“Women head over 80 percent of single-parent families” (Mullaly 2007, p. 161), this is hard on women to live a healthy lifestyle for her and her kids if she is unable to provide for them. If a woman already has a harder time getting a job because of her gender, then what are the odds that she will be able to get a job with a physical disability too? As women are the primary caregivers in the household, they need the help from others if they are unable to care for the family. This is what the article from CCD points out, that it is very difficult for a women with a physical disability to qualify the amount of hours need to qualify for EI. “Their employment patterns make it harder for them” (CCD March 2009), which is something that both the CCD and feminist groups recognize.
One of the problems that feminists face is that people tend to assume that the inequalities between men and women have been fixed throughout time. This can maybe be from the dominance of men in politics, or because there isn’t much coverage/ acknowledgement of stories that to point out the major inequalities between genders in Canada today. As Mullaly (2007) says the struggles that women face today that one may not realize is that “women have the greatest responsibility for the family”, “women are among the poorest groups in Canadian society”, and that “women are disproportionately the victims of male violence” (p. 161).
As an article from The Globe and Mail points out that feminist groups are saying there needs to be a “third wave” for women, and this time “the third wave, she said, has to be about “changing attitudes” (The Globe and Mail, 09 Sept 2010). This involves changing the attitudes that the CCD article points out, having women’s EI insurance changed to better woman who are physically disabled, and to have people attitudes change about the inequalities between men and women that women are still facing today.
Feminists will continue to point out “ways in which issues of particular importance to women have been marginalized or excluded from the social welfare agenda” (Mullaly 2007, p. 161), including the ways that physically disabled women are still being treated unfairly in today’s society.
- Jessica VL
References:
Mullaly, B. (2007). The New Structural Social Work (3rd ed.). Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford University Press Canada.
Council of Canadians with Disabilities. Make EI Accessible and Inclusive to Canadian Women with Disabilities. 31 March, 2009. 08 Nov, 2010. <http://www.ccdonline.ca/en/socialpolicy/employment/EI-pressrelease-31March2009>
Galloway, Gloria. The Globe and Mail. Third Wave of Feminism Urged by Prominent Canadian Women. 09 Sept, 2010. 11 Nov, 2010. <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/third-wave-of-feminism-urged-by-prominent-canadian-women/article1701942/>
I think it's great how you pointed out that there's a false but persistant idea in Canada that women have all the equality they need. Another persistant idea is that there is no longer a need for feminism since the charter of rights and freedoms. But this 'idea' that law can solve all inequalities is a myth. This just moved the battle field to the court where most women and people with disabilities have no means to address discrimination. If you ever walk into a legal-aid office you'll notice that you're surrounded by women. More specifically, they are mostly single mothers and women of colour. All the people that are trying to fight for their rights using the legal system. In my personal experience with legal aid, I was denied help as discriminatory issues were not a priority. Legal aid is so under funded and lacking in qualified staff that only life or death matters are addressed. As long as women, people of colour and people with disabilites suffer from poverty they will never have the means to address discrimnation and inequalities. It completely astounds me how people buy into the whole liberal myth of law and universalism. Maybe if Trudeau had been a woman we would have equality of condition vs equality of opportunity.
ReplyDeleteRachel Ryan-Dorn
I cannot imagine myself, a women not having the right to vote or work. I believe that women in society today are not as equal to men, but we are more equal to men now than women in the past. When reading your blog, I was surprised to read that the current EI sickness benefit only provides fifteen weeks of coverage. I think that is highly unrealistic, and I hope that it is increased to fifty-two weeks. In today's society, it can be quit difficult for women to get a job, and if a women has a physical disability, their chances of getting a job decreases significantly. Although men and women lead very different lives, their lives are not always equal, and I agree that feminists do point this out. I think it would be very interesting to experience a third wave, based upon changing attitudes.
ReplyDeleteAshley R.