From Left to Right
Maternalism and Women’s Political Activism in Postwar Canada
This fresh look at Canadian women’s political engagement during the Cold War finds that, whether they were on the “left” or “right” end of the political spectrum, women were motivated by similar concerns and the desire to forge a new vision for their nation.
Description
In From Left to Right, Brian Thorn explores what motivated Canadian women to become politically engaged in the 1940s and ’50s. Although women in these decades are often depicted as being trapped in the suburbs, they joined diverse political parties, including the CCF, Social Credit, and the Communist Party of Canada. Thorn argues, controversially, that while women on the “left” and “right” had different goals, their activism continued to be informed by maternalism. They used their roles as wives and mothers to influence their parties’ positions and to break down barriers. Along the way, they laid the foundations for the 1960s feminist movement.