A Salute to Canadian Women during International Women's Day

Established in 1977 by the United Nations, International Women's Day (IWD) provides an opportunity to reflect on the progress made to advance women's equality, to assess the challenges facing women in contemporary society, to consider future steps to enhance the status of women and, of course, to celebrate the gains made in these areas. Canadians will celebrate International Women's Week (IWW) from Sunday, March 2 to Saturday, March 8, 2003, with the highlight being International Women's Day on March 8.

There are many accounts of women facing the challenges life sends them. Here are just a few:

Non-Fiction

Canuck Chicks and Maple Leaf Mamas: Women of the Great White North by Ann Douglas

This book provides an overview of two centuries of Canadian history and pop culture and looks at the impact of inventions and social attitudes on the women of the time.

Sisters in the Wilderness: the lives of Susanna Moodie and Catharine Parr Traill by Charlotte Gray

This is an exploration of two women, sisters, who spent their lives surviving the Canadian wilderness and who wrote detailed accounts of life in the backwoods of Upper Canada.

More Than A Rose: Prime Ministers, Wives and Other Women by Heather Robertson

This book reveals the stories of the “woman behind the man”; wives, mothers, mistresses and female politicians who lived and worked with our country’s leaders. There are stories from the wife of our first PM, Isabella MacDonald to the wife of one of our most “hated” PMs, Mila Mulroney, every one a fascinating woman in her own right.

Fiction

The Penguin Anthology of Stories by Canadian Women

This collection includes stories from some of Canada’s most famous female authors as well as those of emerging authors. This is a great place to discover a new author.

A Good House by Bonnie Burnard

This is the story of a family told over the decades following WWII. Burnard chronicles the events of an ordinary family who must face the challenges and tragedies of everyday life.

The Romantic by Barbara Gowdy

Louise Kirk learned about love and loss at an early age. At nine she begins a lifelong obsession with Abel, who unfortunately doesn’t return her feelings. This novel tells the stories of both Louise and Abel.

The Love of a Good Woman by Alice Munro

This collection of short stories is all about what people will do for love and the unexpected results of the life decisions we make.

Unless by Carol Shields

Shields explores the mother and daughter relationship in this piercing and sad story. For Reta Winters, life is good until her eldest daughter runs from the family and ends up mute and begging on a Toronto street corner. Reta then begins her battle to bring her daughter home.

Object of Your Love by Dorothy Speak

In this collection, Speak presents troubling portrayals of women discovering the worst about their families, their lovers, or themselves. For readers of Alice Munro.

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