By Justine Boudreau
“Women have gone from being objects of research to subjects of research.”
– Francine Descarries
Members of our Quebec society may think that equality between men and women exists here. They would not be completely wrong, but there is lots of work to be done. This involves the smallest details that we may not think about, but they are proof that we are not as equal as we might think.
Many important women have marked Quebec’s history, in their own way, by fighting for a woman’s place in society. They include Thérèse Casgrain, Simone Monet-Chartrand, Madeleine Parent and lots of others.
The Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada, also called the Bird Commission, sat in 1970 and offered many possible solutions to the question of the equality of the sexes. It was probably a step in the right direction, but it wasn’t enough for Quebec. “The Bird Commission wasn’t a big event for Quebec, it was statistics that allowed us to advance. That was our starting point” explains Francine Descarries, professor emerita of sociology at UQAM.
According to her, the Commission didn’t go far enough in the terms it used. Several important concepts were explored in the Commission report without pressing the points. Certainly, the women who wrote the report wanted to be noticed. “In the report, they talked of inequalities, but never used the term ‘discrimination.’”
For example, contraception is delicately dealt with. “There should have been more than a few recommendations about contraception,” says Descarries. “They should have insisted it be taught. Women can always think they are equal to men, but without access to contraception, they will never be 100% in control of themselves.”
Anchored in our Brains
According to Francine Descarries, you can be a feminist at any time. Nonetheless, certain ways of thinking are anchored in our brains. They can sometimes make us think the contrary. “Everything is in how you present a concept. We can think we are helping women, all the while putting her in an inferior position… Moreover, women still do most of the housework. These concepts are anchored in us.”
If we take the profession of nursing, for example, it’s a reflex to think that all nurses are women, because it has always been a woman’s occupation. The Quebec Order of Nurses’ 2021 report indicates that only 11.6% of nurses are male. Descarries points out: “Back when, a profession only practiced by women was extremely undervalued in the eyes of men. It’s only when nurses were unionized that (the profession) was valued.”
On the contrary: the President of the Council on the Status of Women, Louise Cordeau, thinks that all concepts for helping women are positive points for the future.
A Regression
In 2023, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF) indicator of the gap between men and women, Canada ranks 30th on the list. The indicator considers several factors, including salaries as well as participation in politics.
It is certainly a step backwards, as in 2020 Canada ranked 19th on the list.
L’Observatoire québécois des inégalités (the Quebec inequality observatory) looks at relative inequality in Canadian provinces. In 2020 Quebec ranked second, behind British Columbia, because of the number of women in politics. If Quebec had been a nation in the WEF it would have ranked 5th among countries.
Quebec was the last province to give women the vote in 1940, but it has become very evolved through the years.
Work to be Done
This province is not perfect and will never be perfect. “Educating youth is the solution,” argues Louise Cordeau. “We teach them how to act in society.” In other words, change begins with new parents or teachers that deal with children every day.
Cordeau says that as long as there is violence against women, whether femicides or conjugal violence, there will never be full equality. “All violent acts show that our society is not egalitarian.”
As seen in Reflet de Société, No. 33-1, septembre-octobre (September-October) 2024, page 19.
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