Women’s Equality Day is a Statutory Holiday in the United States, to celebrate the ratification of the 19th amendment for women to vote and is celebrated on August 26th of each year.
In Canada it is also significant in marking milestones like women gaining the right to vote and hold office in 1918, and the Persons Case in which the British Privy Council in 1929 ruled that women were indeed persons under Canadian law and could be appointed to the Senate. This decision overturned a previous ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada and paved the way for women’s increased participation in public and political life.
I would just invite the reader to consider a few things about the Persons Case: if indeed we agree that women are also persons, then why are they treated differently in ordinary conversation? If we truly believe what the Persons Case is stating, and which, by the way, was hard won by 5 women from Alberta, then I think we might consider the use of language referring to women as a “teaching moment” to the upcoming generation of young leaders.
For example, phrases used by many waitresses or waiters will most often refer to women as “you guys”, “honey”, “dearie”. This, to me if used referring to mature young or especially elderly women, is meant in good faith, but I would suggest there is an unconscious bias to not considering women as equal to men in the realm of personhood.
The treatment of women in our Western Culture, leaves room for improvement which WE have the power and hopefully the will, to make.
For example, for waiters/waitresses, other words more appropriately used could be: “how may I help you ladies?” OR “Are you folks ready to place your orders?”. In my opinion, the common unconscious use of “girls” in relating to mature women is so inappropriate.
I respectfully suggest that perhaps on this August 26th, might we intentionally use appropriate respectful language that exhibits an awareness of the real dignity of womanhood?
-Sister Kathleen Lichti, CSJ
