Women and Equality

Research Proposal # 101192

Canadian Studies > Gender, Race, Class issues
Women Studies
Women Studies > Women and Society

An outline of a proposed paper to explore whether men and women are equal in contemporary Canadian society.

946 words () | 4 sources | MLA | 2008 | United States

Published on: Feb 21, 2008

Paper Summary:

The paper presents an outline for a paper that will look at the recent history of the feminist movement and explore legislation on affirmative action, domestic violence issues, issues pertaining to workplace harassment and sexual assault and on matters relating to equal pay for equal work. The paper explains that the research will look at the legal and institutional apparatuses which have sprung up in recent decades to protect women and whether those apparatuses are actually working. The paper further explains that the proposed research will conclude by arguing that the quality of citizenship and democracy in Canada is profoundly compromised if half of the population is being treated unequally.

From the Paper:

"The structure of my argument will proceed from broad to narrow - or at least it will do so as much as possible. Depending upon the sources available to me, I would like to start out by looking at the history of the women's movement in Canada from around 1970 onward, paying special attention to any benchmark achievements or successes that have taken place since that time. Of course, before going into this matter in great depth, I will most likely contextualize the issue by looking at the status of women before that date (although I really do not want to spend a great deal of time upon it). With the historical background out of the way, I will examine the situation as it presently stands. In particular, I will try to use scholarly databases which provide up-to-date information on rape statistics and the number of women to be found in non-traditional occupations or positions (such as senior management). Ultimately, I hope to use specific examples of where women are in ascendance or where they are still lagging behind; I may also discover that the concerns many women have about various issues are unfounded."

Sample of Sources Used:

Brodsky, Gwen, and Shelagh Day. "Beyond the Social and Economic Rights Debate: Substantive Equality Speaks to Poverty." Canadian Journal of Women & the Law, 14.1 (2002): 185-220.
Majury, Diana. "Equality and Discrimination According to the Supreme Court of Canada." Journal of Women & the Law, 4.2 (1991): 407-439.
Mossman, Mary Jane. "Defining Moments for Women as Lawyers: Reflections on Numerical Gender Equality." Canadian Journal of Women & the Law, 17.1 (2005): 15-25.
Tombs, Deirdre. "Appeal Goes Forward with NWAC Submission." Raven's Eye, 8.8 (2005): 3-12.