Famous Court Cases

Demi asked:


They say women and men are equal. But that wasn’t the case until Emily Murphy stood up for the women’s rights. Women face inequality and were often underestimated in the work place. Emily was the reason that women had a right to a property. She was persevering and did countless things to give women what they were worth.

A lawyer questioned Emily Murphy’s right to judge because of her gender. He believed that no woman was a “person” in the eyes of the law. Emily and her supporters, known as the Famous Five, decided to petition the prime minister . They asked if women, were qualified as “persons” to qualify for appointment in the Senate . The Supreme Court declared that women were not “persons” qualified. The Famous Five were devastated but they did not surrender. They turned their case to the Privy Council in Britain. Three months later, Emily won her case. The Privy Council declared that “persons” were referred to both men and women.

Women made up 20 per cent of the workforce in the 1920’s. They worked as domestic servants, secretaries, sales clerks or factory workers. Tasks that are supposed to be the women’s job were considered less valuable than the work of men. This meant that their salary were lower than of men. Women from the minority groups experienced harder trials. Only a few end up gaining a degree in law or medicine. They faced inequality. In the eyes of men, women were not as good, but things were bound to change.

One Afternoon, Emily Murphy came across an agitated woman. She claimed that her husband sold their property and left without giving her any share of the profit. Women didn’t have any property rights back then. Men were in charged of the deed and could do anything with the land with out having their wive’s compliance. They could keep the profits made without giving their spouse any share. Emily was determined to change that law. She won the fight in 1911 and the Dowry Act was passed by Alberta. Women get one-third share of their husbands’ property.

Emily Murphy believed that women deserved more than how they were treated. She knew that women had as much rights as men. They can do as well, or even better, than them. She fought not only for her rights but for all women. She is one of the aspiring Canadians who changed Canadians for the better. She proved that men and women are indeed equal.
i also need a concluding sentence for paragraph 2 and 4.