Gender & Politics(And Other Issues of Representation)

“Ladies Reminded They’re Women”

Barbara Freeman, “Framing Feminine/Feminist”Royal Commission on the Status of Women, 1967Under Lester B. Pearson, Chaired by Florence Bird, a journalist

“there was one woman, Judy LaMarsh, in the cabinet. Mr. Pearson said, ‘You know, I have a woman in the cabinet.’ Laura said, ‘Well we want a Royal Commission on the status of women to find out where women stand.’ He wasn’t at all willing to listen to what she said. But then she said, ‘Well, then, I’ll have two million women march on Parliament’. It was really because of that threat that reconsideration was given to setting up a commission”. ~ Flora MacDonald

Commission’s Mandate:

“inquire into and report upon the status of women in Canada, and to recommend what steps might be taken by the Federal Government to ensure for women equal opportunities with men in all aspects of Canadian society, having regard for distribution of legislative powers under the constitution of Canada, particularly with reference to federal statutes, regulations and policies that concern or affect the rights and activities of women.”

The Guide

Universal Declaration of Human Rights, "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights."

Four Founding Assumptions

1. That women should be free to choose whether or not to take employment outside their homes;

2. That the care of children is a responsibility to be shared by the mother, the father and society;

3. That society has a responsibility for women because of pregnancy and child-birth, and special treatment related to maternity will always be necessary, and

4. That in certain areas women will for an interim time require special treatment to overcome the adverse effects of discriminatory practices.

The Context

Violence against women was such an untold story in the late 1960s that the Commission did not examine it at all;

The work of the Commission was undertaken at a time when there was a much less acknowledged presence of immigrant and visible minority women;

Aboriginal issues had yet to be acknowledged in a meaningful way;

Women with disabilities were virtually invisible;

Protection of basic rights for lesbians, indeed any discussion of sexual orientation, was not on the public or political agenda, and

The Charter of Rights and Freedoms was still nearly two decades away from being written, so there were few legal foundations on which the Commission could rest its work.

Recommendations

Recommendations dealt with a range of issues including housing, daycare, sexual stereotyping, and labour standards (including counseling that Newfound-land (along with PEI and Nova Scotia) change its legislation to ensure that women received the same minimum wage as men did).

“Gender” and “marital status” should be prohibited as grounds for discrimination by employers

Federal training programs should be made more open to women

More women should be named as judges to all courts within Federal jurisdiction

Women should be granted 18 weeks un-employment benefits

There should be more women Senators

Other recommendations regarding pensions, birth control, daycare and educational opportunities.

The National Action Committee

• One offshoot of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women was the creation of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women

• Responsible for seeing that recommendations were implemented

• Also creation of the Status of Women Canada, and Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women (CACSW)

• http://www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/index-eng.html

• Also provincial/territorial bodies

The Royal Commission in the News

What might be seen as antifeminist coverageFocused on women’s appearance and comportmentBoth creating and perpetuating stereotypes

Samantha Thrift “Feminist Eventfulness, Boredom, and the 1984 Leadership Debate

on Women’s Issues”

CRTC Task-Force on Sex-Role Stereotyping in the Broadcast Media, 1981

1981, Advertising Standards Canada (formerly Canadian Advertising Foundation) began administering the guidelines on behalf of the industry, including all Canadian paid media

Stereotyping guidelines revised in 1987 Revised and renamed Gender Portrayal Guidelines in 1993http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRI-A3vakVghttp://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWks4qtrESbtEvrTy0Qt9mQ?v=ZKLnhuzh9uY

Gender Portrayal Guidelines,Interpretation Guide

1. Caution should be taken to ensure that the overall impression of an ad does not violate the spirit of gender equality even though the individual elements of the ad may not violate any particular guideline.

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z95MF_fMtnM

2. While the Guidelines pertain to both women and men, some clauses are particularly directed to the portrayal of women. Men and women are not at equal risk of being negatively portrayed and these Guidelines recognize that fact.

3. Humour, works of art and historical settings can all be positive elements in advertising. However, these techniques should not serve as an excuse to stereotype women or men or to portray behaviour which is not acceptable today.

4. The Consumer Response Councils may consider the nature of the media used when assessments are made. Sensitivity should be demonstrated in choosing media vehicles for certain product categories, such as intimate or personal products.

Guidelines

1. Authority2. Decision-making3. Sexuality4. Violence5. Diversity6. Language

The Nike Fill in the Blank Campaign

http://articles.latimes.com/1991-04-04/news/vw-2696_1_beer-ad

http://www.feminisms.org/399/the-best-commercial-of-the-decade-is-a-sexist-beer-ad/

Media Watch

• http://www.mediawatchdogs.gendersquare.org/Countries/canada.htm