Archive 1997-2016
Feminism came into its own in Canada in the 1970s. So it’s not surprising that many feminist organizations were founded more than 20 years ago and that most of their members are now middle-aged. But officials at the organizations insist they don’t have a problem attracting younger members.
On a blustery late winter morning, several dozen students gather in a cramped but cheerful series of classrooms tucked in between the Island Jerk West Indian Restaurant and the Beirut Food Centre. The students, most of them women, have come to this busy Bank Street strip mall to learn English.
Nubia Cermeno moved to Canada in 1975 to get an education in a country with more opportunities for women than in her native Venezuela. Just a few years after arriving, however, she found herself divorced and on her own with a young son to support.
You can use the Internet to book a hotel room halfway across the world or send flowers to a friend in another city. But to women fleeing abuse, the web is more than a digital shopping mall. It’s a lifeline.