Canadian society is diverse in many respects and it started its formation during the period of industrialization and colonialism. People from different cultural backgrounds have lived in the country that has been dominated by people of European descent. Admittedly, this affected the way the society was developing and the way gender roles were distributed. Capitalism and colonialism had a particular impact on family patterns and the way these patterns were (and are now) seen by white women and women of color (Dua 238).
Interestingly, it is possible to single out several stages of the society development when views on gender roles were very different. For instance, women could hardly obtain education when it was a norm for a man to be educated. Women were also bound to focus on their households and could not run a business of their own (or even be employed). Sometimes women could not have property of their own.
In the first place, it is necessary to consider peculiarities of gender roles in Europe (or rather France which started colonization of Canada) in the 16-18th centuries. France was a state where principles of Catholicism were valued high and, hence, men were dominating in all spheres of life (Stevenson 52).
Thus, men landed high posts in the government and could play a significant role in the community. Men played active role in the social life as they were engaged in politics, economy, science, education and so on. Only few women (representatives of privileged classes) could be educated or could take some meaningful role in the society. Thus, women could have gatherings and could donate to some things.
Importantly, when the French started colonizing Canada, they did not intend to settle there. They were simply fishing and hunting and brought the results of their work to France. Basically, sailors, fishers and traders came to Canada. Therefore, women were rarely brought to the New World in Canada at that time.
At the same time, indigenous people had particular laws and they saw marriage as a way to set trade and political relationships (Stevenson 51). Europeans had to follow these rules and often married indigenous women. It is noteworthy that Europeans preferred living in the new area that was free from strict European (and Catholic) rules.
The society of indigenous people was not as hierarchical and women enjoyed significant freedom. Thus, females could have property and engage in certain business. Notably, these societal and family patterns were accepted well and European men seemed to support such freedom and such degree of equality between genders. The First Nations lived in a less hierarchical world and women were not supposed to complete household chores only. They were almost equal with men.
Nonetheless, the change of the colonial policy of France and expansion of the English led to dramatic changes in the society of the First Nations. Thus, European women came with their husbands to the new country. They were seen as civilized females in contrast to savage indigenous women or children of the First Nations (Stevenson 55).
European ideals of womanhood were brought and the freedom females in Canada enjoyed became restricted. It was believed that a civilized woman had to fulfill domestic work and devote her life to her husband and children. Such values can be referred to as ‘the cult of domesticity’.
Clearly, all rules of the First Nations seemed savage and unworthy to Europeans. The newcomers brought their own rules and started dominating the area. Therefore, the eighteenth century was the period when European gender roles became established in Canada. Women focused on domestic issues and men were responsible for breadwinning. This distribution of roles was seen as appropriate and desirable for a civilized society.
It is obvious that these conventions were passed on to new generations. Eventually, women of European descent tried to cherish the values of a hierarchical society. White women believed it was decent and moral to focus on domestic issues and enable their husbands to focus on their ‘male’ issues, breadwinning.
As has been mentioned above, these values were facilitated by the contrast women of the First Nations created. Indigenous and First Nations women were seen as uncivilized while white women who were occupied in domestic issues only were seen as symbols of womanhood.
It is necessary to note that white women started changing their attitudes towards gender roles in the second part of the twentieth century. Women wanted freedom and they wished to participate in the social life. Females wanted empowerment and they needed to break the conventions as well as the cult of domesticity that restricted their activity to domestic issues only. White women saw feminism as a type of rebel against the societal norms.
The things were totally different with women of color. These females came to Canada later and the ways they came were also quite different. This shaped the way they saw gender roles and ‘domestication’ of women. It is possible to consider the way Asian and Black women consider gender roles to understand the way society affects people.
The cult of domesticity did not play a significant role in the process of Asian women’s development as members of Canadian society. The public/private split and Canadian laws had a much greater effect. Thus, in the late nineteenth century, immigration of Europeans was insignificant as the country’s labor market required low-skilled workers and, hence, immigrants from other regions started coming to Canada (Dua 244).
Asian men were taken as temporary workers and this shaped the way they were treated. Canadian government did not want Asian men to settle down in Canada and they were banned from bringing their families (Dua 244). The ban existed for a long time and men learnt to live without their wives and, as a result, these men had to fulfill chores. Later, the ban was eased and Asian men were able to bring their wives and children to Canada.
Since men were accustomed to completing domestic tasks and financial state was not secured, Asian women entered Canadian labor force. Notably, Asian women assisted their husbands to run business and even started their own businesses. This enabled Asian families to cope with financial issues and become a part of the Canadian society.
The situation was different with Black women. Black females were also unwanted in the Canadian society (Dua 246). Women (who usually came from the Caribbean) were regarded as temporary workers who provided domestic services for money. It is noteworthy that, unlike white women, women of color got payment for domestic work. Females immigrating to the country from Caribbean got only temporary jobs and were forced to leave the country.
When they settled in Canada, they were still forced to be employed rather than focus on their domestic affairs (for instance, bringing up children). This led to development of a specific attitude towards family life and domestic work in women of color. They see their families and ability to focus on their children as a type of rebel against oppression of the society (Dua 246). These women try to spend more time with their families to pass on their skills and knowledge to help their children survive in the hostile world.
Notably, Dua stresses that the state focused on development of the white European society and tried to prevent people of color (indigenous people, people of Asian descent, African Canadians and so on) from developing strong family ties and, as a result, developing communities and become fully integrated into the Canadian society (247).
This can be partially true as women of color were often forced to spend little time at home. This made it almost impossible for women to pass on their values to their children and contribute to development of strong communities of particular cultural background. At the same time, white women were forced to stay home and bring up their children educating them in terms of the set of European values.
On balance, it is necessary to note that the state has had a significant impact on the way Canadian women (both women of color and women of European descent) see gender roles.
White women strive for equality and their right to participate in the social life while women of color try to exercise their right to spend more time with the children passing on their knowledge and skills. It is possible to note that two groups of women (white females and women of color) were equally exploited by the state that desired to develop a specific society with particular sets of values and even physical features.
At present, people should learn to live in a truly democratic society with no discrimination where gender roles are distributed equally. More importantly, each female has to exercise her right to choose her path and devote herself to social or family life. It is time to eliminate prejudice and start promulgating truly democratic values to make it possible for a woman to choose the role she feels could fit her.
Works Cited
Dua, Enakshi. “Beyond Diversity: Exploring the Ways in Which the Discourse of Race Has Shaped the Institution of the Nuclear Family.” Scratching the Surface: Canadian Anti-Racist Feminist Thought. Ed. Enakshi Dua and Angela Robertson. Toronto: Women’s Press, 1999. 237-259. Print.
Stevenson, Winona. “Colonialism and First Nations Women in Canada.” Scratching the Surface: Canadian Anti-Racist Feminist Thought. Ed. Enakshi Dua and Angela Robertson. Toronto: Women’s Press, 1999. 49-80. Print.