Over the years, the world has recorded significant progress in social institutions, largely seen by shifts in labor and family institutions. The article “Transforming Labor: Women and Wok in Post-War Canada by Joan Sangster” delves into trends in women’s labor, particularly focusing on creating a critical evaluation of women’s paid labor in Canada after the Second World War. One of the most notable trends during this period was the increase in the participation of women in the labor force. The family was and is still one of Canadian society’s most important social institutions. Therefore, changes in the attitudes and perceptions towards labor influence the family institution, thus creating significant change in Canadian social life. The spillover effects of the labor changes also spread to Canada’s economic and political institutions. While the events characterizing the most significant changes in women and labor are vast, Joan Sangster’s books offer a comprehensive and well-developed analysis of women’s experiences in the changing labor industry and the contributions and struggles with intricate social, economic, and political environments in post-war Canada.
One of the main themes consistent with the text is the dramatic changes in the attitudes and perceptions towards women in the labor force. In the introductory section, Sangster (2010) states that the central purpose of the book is to deepen the understanding of women’s labor in the post-war period through the case studies constructed around debates, themes, occupations, and events that typify one aspect of the changing landscape of women working around that period. Undoubtedly, Sangster achieves this goal by exploring the debates and issues surrounding the new wave of women working rather than women fulfilling conventional family-based roles. The analysis reveals that while the changes seemed inevitable, the shift in gender roles was surrounded by controversies and heated debates.
The analysis reveals the difference in the social and political environment on the shifts. On the one hand, society was becoming more open to women in different work environments. However, despite these changes, there was a significant difference between work and gender stereotypes, which were still in play. This means that the change in attitudes towards women and work was not collective, as most people still believed women should be nurtured and family-based. The political landscape is portrayed as one of the most resistant bodies. This is seen by the fact that the federal exempted women from tax, barred women from civil jobs, and cut funding for child care. These events also affected the social and mental health of the women, and this is supported by the fact that most women were confused as to their identity, particularly with their role as wage workers and homemakers.
The other key theme is the degree of racial and ethnic division embedded within the shifts in labor roles. Sangster states that race, ethnicity, class, and gender influence attitudes towards women in the workplace. Moreover, many women saw racial exclusion in various work industries. In chapter two, the author notes the increasing immigrant crisis in Canada. During the same time, Immigrant women were more likely to be in the workforce than native women. The implication is that most immigrant women can find employment compared to native women. While the factors behind this trend are not discussed in the article, this claim opens up the discussion on the evolving work patterns for indigenous women. The narrative of Edna offers firsthand experience of racial segregation in the employment industry, with Indians being termed as “unreliable,” making it hard to work with them.
The challenges women workers face are vast and include the shifting societal attitudes, especially towards working women. Evidence shows that women workers were portrayed as problems, exceptions, and anomalies. Moreover, while the female population was constantly increasing in the period after the Cold War, the representation of women in influential labor organizations did not significantly change. In many labor unions, the top leadership and management positions were filled by male workers. Women who made it to management were even more harshly viewed by society, with Sangster defining these women as “superanoirmalies.” Moreover, the nature of jobs women could work in contributed to the many challenges they were exposed to. Sangster argues that one of the trends during this era was feminizing women for economic reasons. Some of the stipulations to explain the idea of feminizing women include the fact that women were often cheaper labor, and les unions and bodies were fighting for labor union factors such as pay equality and equity. The idea of the Importation of Displaced Persons, “Dionne girls,” who are portrayed as an intersection of the immigration and labor laws in Canada. The girls were often mistreated, received poor pay, and were forced to work in poor conditions.
The article also discusses the approaches utilized by women to call for change. Social and intellectual upheavals were mirrored through service worker strikes, which greatly influenced the changes in women in the labour industry from the 1960s. These efforts increased women’s participation in labour unions, allowing them to mirror their challenges further. Also, while a massive industrial change affected the nature of jobs available, Canada experienced mass consumption, creating more employment opportunities for women. The challenges highlighted in the article are worth noting, and the authors attempt to analyze these changes. For instance, Sangster notes that many studies have failed to look into the labor movements despite their influence in the labor industry as a space for workers to address transformation in the workplace. However, Sangster addresses these gaps by looking into labor unions and the influence of policies such as the Fordist Accord, Dupuis Freres, and institutions such as the Royal Commission on the Status of Women. On the other hand, one of the challenges with the article is the poor presence of ethos. The quality of evidence in the article would have been well developed by using multiple firsthand sources, including manuscripts and employment contracts, if there were any.
Overall, Sangster’s article examines the transformation of the labor industry in post-war Canada by looking at women’s experiences and the shifts that have occurred during these years. While the article discusses various themes, including the political landscape, influencing this transformation, the most common themes are centered on the experiences, challenges, and events that shaped the transformation of the labor industry from a male-dominated industry to a more gender and racial-inclusive sector.
References
Sangster, J. (2010). Transforming labour: women and work in post-war Canada. University of Toronto Press.
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