Introduction | Bison Economy | Kootisaw | Fort Calgary | Ranching | Agriculture
1895-1946 | 1947-1970 | 1971-1991 | Oil & Gas | Diversification | Ethnicity | Labour | Women
Calgary & Southern Alberta
Canadian postal stamp featuring Nellie McClung
Courtesy of the National Archives of Canada
Women in Alberta have played an important role in both Alberta and Calgary's political and social development. This role has been both public and private, and it often transcended social distinctions. While farm and ranch women contributed to the development of the ranching and agriculture frontiers through their unpaid labour, women like Alice Jamesion became involved in the struggle for women’s political rights, particularly women’s suffrage. This struggle took place in the context of general social reform, in which women played a dramatic role.
Immigration Promotion Poster for Women
Courtesy of the Glenbow Collection
Conventional wisdom often assumes that once women achieved the vote in Alberta in 1916 that their political activism disappeared until the women’s movement emerged in the 1960s. Yet, between 1920 and 1960 women entered provincial politics and they influenced the passing of much social legislation. The passing of women’s suffrage also marked the beginning of women’s long struggle for full and equal participation in politics, the labour force, and in private life. Many of these gains were evident in women’s struggle for legal rights over their children, their homes, and their persons. Women’s demands resulted in the formation of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women. Despite the federal government’s initiative, the Alberta government was slow to initiate the commission’s recommendations.
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