A 20th century timeline of Canadian women in business
The evolution of women in Canadian businesses and workforces has a long history and continues to grow. To fully understand women’s successes in business, it is necessary to highlight the historical milestones. Additionally, it is essential to acknowledge the female entrepreneurs who paved the way for women to thrive in business today.
Here is a 20th century timeline celebrating Canadian women in business.
The International Federation of Business and Professional Women is a network of female professionals. This network includes entrepreneurs, business owners, leaders and executives worldwide, including Canada. When founded in 1930 by Lena Madesin Phillips, it was the first organization to endorse the equal rights amendment. It continues to advocate for women’s economic independence whileand eliminating discrimination in the business sector.
During World War II (Sept. 1, 1939 – Sept. 2, 1945), Canadian women quickly moved into various jobs outside the domestic workforce. During the peak of World War II, lasting from 1943 totill 1944, 439,000 women worked in the service sector. Additionally, 373,000 women worked in manufacturing, 4,000 in construction and 261,000 in producing war goods. Thanks to women’s detail-oriented skills, munition and aircraft equipment used in World War II were always inspected before use.
In 1956, Olivia Poole, an Ojibwe woman, became one of the first Indigenous women in Canada to patent an invention. Poole patented the first Jolly Jumper, which is still massively produced and remains a common item in family homes. She began working on the design of the Jolly Jumper in 1910 when she had her first baby. The design was inspired by her memories of Indigenous peoples on the White Earth Reservation cradleboards to safely secure their babies.
Using the concept of cradleboards, Poole invented a mechanism that allowed babies to bounce and entertain themselves while safely securing themed.
Before she founded the Beverly Mascoll Beauty Supply Company, Beverly Mascoll noticed a gap in beauty products for Black women in Canada. When Mascoll started her business, she only had $700 and sold products from the trunk of her car. Now, her products are distributed by the African-American-owned beauty manufacturer Johnson Products distributes her products.
Jean Lumb’s incredibly successful restaurant, Kwong Chow Chop Suey House, opened in Toronto’s Chinatown in 1959. Her restaurant was known for having significant political figures as regulars, which allowed her to appear on television and radio to advocate for the significance of Chinese food. Lumb also discussed anti-Asian racism and advocated for Chinese immigrant rights. In 1976, Lumb became a Member of This led to her being recognized by the Order of Canada for her extensive community work.
Even though women had contributed to the workforce for decades by the late 1970s, they still faced discrimination by employers based on their sex. However, this would change with the enactment of when the Canadian Human Rights Act. Under the act, employers and colleagues were prohibited from discriminating against women based on sex in any workplace. For instance, women could an no longer be excluded from receiving promotions based solely on sex. It also became illegal for women to be fired for being pregnant.
In 1983, the Royal Commission of Inquiry on Equality in Employment took place, leading to an official report. The report outlined how women, Indigenous Aboriginal peoples, people with disabilities and members of visible minority groups were having difficulty obtaining employment in Canada. This realization brought about the Employment Equity Act. The act states that individuals can only be denied employment based solely on their abilities, not their sex, culture, race or disability. This ensures proactive measures are taken to maintain equity in the Canadian workplace for the four vulnerable groups.
Claire Prieto is a filmmaker passionate about increasing Black representation in Canadian film. In 1988, Prieto co-founded the Black Film and Video Network (BVFN). BVFN is a network described as a place where black filmmakers could express their identity and incorporate Black activism in film. Today, the BVFN continues to develop, produce and distribute art made by black filmmakers. The network’s continued success is thanks to Prieto for paving the way with her clear aims and objectives regarding Canadian film.
Grace Nelson-Gunness
Grace Nelson-Gunness is a reporter for Business Hub. She enjoys watching Criminal Minds or reading a suspenseful horror-thriller novel while drinking a vanilla latte.