Gendering the Nation Online Museum Exhibit
Created by the class of HIST 465 (Topics in Women's History) 2015-16
Queens University, Canada
Gender and Politics
We will be discussing how political regulation is influenced by gender roles. We will be talking about westernized countries, specifically Britain, The Unites States and Canada, spanning from the mid 18th century to the 1970’s.
“The legal subordination of one sex to another—is wrong in itself, and now one of the chief hindrances to human improvement; and that ought to be replaced by a principle of perfect equality.“
---John Stuart Mill
Regency England
The ultimate goal in marriage during the regency era and previous was the rearing of children, with an emphasis on the creation of good British citizens, therefore furthering the cause of the nation. It is perhaps due to this that the Regency era was so concerned with the regulation of gender roles from the time that children were very young.
British Suffrage
This section of the museum exhibit is focused primarily on men’s involvement in the Suffrage Movement in Britain. The artifacts and images I have chosen are primarily from the early twentieth century, and provide insight into the political, economic, and moral reasons men had for either supporting the Suffrage Movement or opposing it.
American Law
The purpose of this museum exhibit is to bring awareness of gender inequality and discrimination in US history. This exhibit has a specific focus on the political and cultural ties that created gendered laws. The main framework is to show a historiographical timeline of US women legal status from 1870 to 1970.
Canadian Chinese Immigration
Canada has a shameful history of racism and discrimination towards multiple groups who were not considered real “citizens” of the nation. Such an example is Chinese-Canadians, who immigrated to Canada looking for work. The first group came during the 1880s to help construct the Canadian Pacific Railway in British Columbia for cheap pay.
Eugenics in Alberta
Eugenics in Alberta was used as a platform for feminists during the early 20th century to express women’s social and political ideas to the public without repercussion. Unfortunately, some feminists supported negative eugenics, which refers specifically to the “breeding out of certain characteristics in the population”.
Margaret Sanger
Margaret Sanger, born in 1879, was a woman who revolutionized birth control for women. Her cause started to prevail after her own losses and struggles in life inspired her to help others with the same issues. Sanger bore three children after her marriage in 1902, and during her pregnancies, she dealt with a tubular infection.
