International Women’s Day is a day meant for reflection and action based on the progression of women’s rights. Events will be held worldwide, and Camosun is no exception.
This day, meant to perpetuate acceptance and equality, is often met with a clash of opinions and perspectives. But how is Camosun College doing with equality and rights for women on its campuses?
Madeline Keller-MacLeod, external affairs executive for the Camosun College Student Society, has seen sexism on campus. Keller-MacLeod says these issues are especially prominent in trades programs.
“Sexism in the trades is something that I am very eager to work on calling out and challenging,” says Keller-MacLeod, also the incoming women’s liaison for the Canadian Federation of Students-BC.
Meanwhile, Camosun College VP of education John Boraas believes that, in general, there is equality for women and men on campus, at least in terms of numbers.
“There is certainly equality on the campuses, generally,” says Boraas.“In fact, as in much of postsecondary education, women are now outnumbering men on campus.”
Boraas says the college encourages female participation in a full range of programs, including the trades. He also says that a specialized Women in Trades program has been developed to create a “direct pathway” for women getting into trades at the college.
“The success of this program has been amazing, with a huge majority of participating students transitioning on to apprenticeship programs,” says Boraas.“Camosun is really excited about the success of the Women into the Trades programming.”
Camosun’s ombudsman Carter MacDonald says that when it comes to sexism and oppression against women on campus, he hasn’t seen much evidence to support claims of a problem.
“Women are treated equally on our campuses,” says MacDonald. “In the wide range of student issues that have come to my attention over the past five years, I do not recall having seen any examples of either individual or systemic discriminationtowards women.”
Keller-MacLeod, however, says much work needs to be done in order to claim that Camosun is free of sexism and truly equal for women and men.
“I would also like to see the recognition of the importance of women incorporated more evenly into classes,” she says. “For example, many of the classes I have taken have taught me about mostly white men for almost the entire semester, with one day reserved for recognizing that women actually matter. It is incredibly important that educators recognize that the contribution of women is always important, even if the kind of work that women usually do is often not regarded as important.”
Keller-MacLeod also warns that sexism is not just a women’s issue. “Students need to be more generally aware of what sexism can look like, and also that it is a problem that everyone should care about, and then I hope more people will call out sexism when they see it or experience it.”
The advances society has made in women’s rights are undeniable, but according to some students, there is still a long way to go.
“Women are still being treated unequally in some areas, even though there have been some structural improvements,” says Gina Marelli, a former Camosun student who is currently studying at the University of Victoria.
Some students also feel that the ratio of women to men doesn’t mean that there’s equality.
“I’ve experienced sexism, usually in the form of micro-aggressions, frequently at postsecondary institutions,” says Hannah Jones, a student majoring in women’s studies at UVic. “One of the subtle forms of sexism can be seen by reading almost any university syllabus. I have taken many creative writing classes at UVic where, out of about 25 writing samples read over the term, two might be by women, this eventually contributed to me leaving the department.”
And while there are services available for women on most university and college campuses, including Camosun and UVic, Jones says professors in the mainstream faculties need to learn more about the issues.
“Just because there’s a class on women’s literature doesn’t mean that there shouldn’t be women represented in core English lit courses,” she says.
These students aren’t the only ones who feel that sexism is a prominent problem in our society. The “Who Needs Feminism?” campaign, a popular meme designed to engage men and women in contemplating feminism and why it’s important to them from their personal view, is an example of the response many have to the inequalities they feel are shaping our everyday interactions.
This campaign has become an important vehicle in addressing the belief that we live our lives with little influence from sexism. When asked why they needed feminism, students had a great deal to contribute.
“I need feminism so I can be sure that it is me who gets to decide what I wear, what I am emotionally and physically capable of, and what career I set out to do,” says UVic student Kim Collis, who formerly went to Camosun. “Those liberties should be personal, not granted upon me by an outdated societal belief system.”
International Women’s Day is a great reminder that we have come a long way as a society, and that we have a fair amount of work to do in the realm of gender equality. The fact remains that we live in a world where there are women who are assaulted, oppressed, or even killed for being women. There are many reasons that our world needs feminism, according to Danielle Robbins, a second-year community family and child studies student at Camosun.
“I should be able to state my feelings towards certain things without being called sensitive,” says Robbins. “I need feminism because people think that because I’m shy I can’t change the world.”
According to third-year Camosun university transfer student Rita Wakelin, feminism is meant to contribute towards a society in which all are treated with respect and dignity.
“Until the day comes that I can go for a walk at night and never once feel vulnerable because of my gender,” says Wakelin, “I will need feminism.”
An International Women’s Day rally takes place on Friday, March 8, starting at 11 am in the Fisher courtyard, Lansdowne. An open house will follow at the Lansdowne women’s centre, located on the ground floor of the Richmond House. All are welcome.