Doris Anderson, the dynamic former editor of Chatelaine, former head of the Canadian Advisory Council and former president of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women, was at York yesterday to talk about feminism in the new millennium. Her talk was entitled “The Politics of Change: Feminism in a ‘Post-Feminist’ World.” This self-described “rebel daughter” was hosted at the University by the School of Women’s Studies.
Women have always been in the vanguard of change, according to Anderson, a pioneeer in consciousness-raising on feminist issues. She sees today”s women’s movement as continuing to change the world through making small changes in society which will lead to large changes in the world. Feminism has never been easy, she says. In fact, it is constantly under siege – though still very much alive.
Many people perceive feminism to be anti-male, but that is a grave misconception, Anderson adds. In her opinion, the women’s movement has accomplished as much for men as for women, enabling them to reveal their emotions and have closer relationships with their children.
Graduate students in Women’s Studies at York will soon have the opportunity to receive a $15,000 Doris Anderson Ontario Graduate Scholarship in Women’s Studies. The plan is for recipients to receive $5,000 from the scholarship fund and the rest from a doubl matching grant from the province of Ontario.
The University’s graduate program in women’s studies provides students with both part-time and full-time options for working toward MA and PhD degrees. It offers the only free-standing PhD in women’s studies in Canada.
