Paper Summary:

In this essay, the writer examines the book "Discounted Labour: Women Workers in Canada", which discusses a very crucial period that took place in industrial capitalism, largely between the years of 1870 and 1939. The writer points out that the book looks at many of the historical issues behind the persistent inequality that women faced within the paid workforce. The writer notes that, also examined by the authors, were the divisions that are seen among various women based on their racial, ethnic, and social class differences and the way those differences are affected by the female gender where they might not be affected in the same way or to the same degree by the male gender. The writer concludes that reform and change must start somewhere, and in this case it started with Canadian who that just wanted equality.

From the Paper:

"The book, therefore, looks at many of the historical issues behind the persistent inequality that women faced within the paid workforce. Women were confined to the jobs that paid less and the work that they did was not seen to be nearly as valuable as the work that men did. Many women also found that they lacked union membership, experience in the workforce, and training for many jobs, but some of these women did resist being subordinate. There have always been discrepancies in the earnings and employment patterns of women, regardless of whether one is talking about unskilled labor or about the higher-skilled positions, and for this reason the book looks not only at the salaried positions of women but the lower-skilled and lower-paying jobs as well."
"Also examined by the authors were the divisions that are seen among various women based on their racial, ethnic, and social class differences and the way those differences are affected by the female gender where they might not be affected in the same way or to the same degree by the male gender. The struggle for gender equality in Canada is a historic one, much like the struggle for the same issue within the United States and various other countries."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Frager, Ruth A. & Patrias, Carmela K. (2006). Discounted labour: Women workers in Canada, 1870-1939 (Themes in Canadian history). Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press.

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