International Women’s Day
This year marks the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, when people around the world celebrate women’s achievements while acknowledging the often-painful struggles endured to obtain basic for girls and women.
In 2011, the theme for the day is “Girls’ Rights Matter.” One way to show young people the importance of gender equality is by exploring the rich history of our foremothers who worked to create a nation where gender barriers did not hinder a person’s life and choices.
In the area of health care alone are many shining examples of women who refused to let convention or people’s disapproval hold them back. Dr. Jenny Trout (1841-1921) was the first woman in Canada to obtain a license to practice medicine and she went on found the Kingston Women’s Medical College, offering a younger generation opportunities to study and enter the medical profession. In the early 1900s, Mabel Hersey led a campaign for make nursing a profession, resulting in training that would make these workers an essential part of the Canadian health care system.
Not to be forgotten are the contributions of Aboriginal, African-Canadian and immigrant women, such as Mary Bibb, who, with her husband Henry, published a newspaper called Voice of the Fugitive for the African-Canadian community.
By learning about these courageous women, Canadians honour the unique contributions of our foremothers in the political, social and cultural life of this country.