Now that’s my kind of feminism!
I take great pride coming from a family of strong women, they might not have called themselves feminists, but that’s how I saw them. My maternal grandmother was a real-life Rosie the Riveter who welded aluminum fighters and bombers during WWII. My paternal grandmother was a technical draftsperson who continued working after the war- helping the UK Army design machine guns, military vehicles, and the infamous rubber bullet.
One of my earliest memories was going to the bank with my mom when she went to apply for a mortgage. Years later she explained to me how the manager was incredibly resistant, Canadian banks didn’t give mortgages to women back in the early 70’s. She resisted and fought back hard, they eventually gave in and she became one of the first women in the country to be issued a mortgage in her name alone.
Feminism was borne out of a fight for freedom- the right to vote, the right to own property, and the ability to get a mortgage to buy it with. My grandmother’s feminism – through the airplanes and guns they helped create – saved the world from the horrors of fascist regimes.
I know contemporary feminists who are making an important difference- one whose contributions leave me in awe. I’m not an enemy of feminism, I’m an ally; that said, Canada is ground zero for a new form of the movement- and it’s toxic.
