What gives you courage?
When I am scared of doing something, I ask myself, “What is the worst thing that could happen?” And I realize that it’s ridiculous to hold myself back for that. Magic only happens outside your comfort zone. Go there. Often. Practice makes perfect on the risk-taking front, as well.
What does being Canadian mean to you?
Freedom and peace.
How has your view of feminism changed over your lifetime?
I used to think that the fact that women weren’t getting to the top was all men’s fault. Now I understand that there are many self-inflicted obstacles that we need to get rid of in order to reach our targets. I have realized that most men actually want women to sit at the table, but don’t necessarily know how to make it happen. At Women in Governance, we give men the tools to promote gender equality in their work environment. We also encourage women to leave behind their lack of self-confidence, their modesty, and their risk aversion.
We are saying that there should be more women at the executive level and on boards not only because it is the ethical thing to do, but also because there is nothing more powerful than men and women who put their brains and visions together to achieve results. Groupthink is what results from having clones around the table who look, sound, and think the same way. At Women in Governance we have parity on our board, and men co-chair three of our six committees. We walk the talk!
Imogen Coe
“Being Canadian means opportunity. It means potential, and it’s been a welcoming adopted home.”
Birthplace Cambridge, UK
What age do you feel 42
Occupation Dean of the Faculty of Science and professor in biology and chemistry, Ryerson University
Book you gift most Dance Me to the End of Love by Leonard Cohen
Favourite drink Red wine
Favourite place in Canada Out in nature
If you could have dinner with any woman, alive or dead, who would it be?
A great British explorer called Freya Stark. There was a period in my life when I wanted to be an explorer in the tradition of the eight-eenth and nineteenth century.
Tell us about a time when you had to summon all of your courage.
When my children were young, my partner was removed from the house because he was abusive. I am telling this story now because people need to know. You look at someone like me and you don’t realize that I’m someone who survived intimate partner abuse. I became a single parent overnight. My children were two and six at the time. That was the time when I most had to summon all my courage and pull everything together. We had been left in a very difficult financial situation and I didn’t have family around. There was an opportunity there to fill my home with a lot of positive light for me and my children. I also learned the importance of building a network and the meaning of having good friends.
What advice would you give young women considering a career in STEM?
Work hard on believing in yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself fully 100 percent, then it’s going to be harder. Don’t listen to all of those voices, messages, and subtle influences that say, “You don’t belong here. You’re not good enough. You don’t look like a scientist. We don’t value your contribution.”
I tell young women, “You have something to contribute. You are worthwhile. You are worth us investing our time to help you get through this program or course.”
If you were to write a book, what would its title be?
Onwards and Upwards.
What is your vision for Canada in twenty years?
My vision for Canada is that it becomes the global leader in equity and diversity and inclusivity in STEM. Canada needs more courage to step up and be a global leader. It needs that courage to be framed or coupled with integrity, doing the right thing. Kindness needs to be seen as an incredibly powerful thing.
If you were to get a tattoo of one word, what would it be?
“Peace.”
Ruth Collins-Nakai
“I am proud and grateful to live in a peaceful country.”
Birthplace Pincher Creek, AB
What age do you feel 50
Occupation Semi-retired cardiologist, board member, mentor, Honorary Colonel to 1 Field Ambulance in the Canadian Forces
Book you gift most The Chalice and the Blade by Riane Eisler
Favourite drink Water! (Next in line, wine)
Favourite place in Canada Rocky Mountains
If you could have dinner with any woman, alive or dead, who would it be?
Either Simone de Beauvoir because she was an intelligent, thoughtful, fiercely independent woman, or Dr. Maude Abbott because she was an innovative physician who successfully dealt with misogyny throughout her career, and also founded the Federation of Medical Women of Canada.
Tell us about a time when you had to summon all of your courage.
It took courage for me to tell publicly how my own misogynist university drove me out—I endured a chilly workplace climate for years, and was harassed, embarrassed, and belittled by the university. I was asked to give a speech about tough situations and I decided to use myself as an example, but I was frightened to present my vulnerabilities. It turned out well and I had much support from the audience.
If you were to write a book, what would its title be?
Improving Our Chances: The Science Behind Our Most Important Investment, Children.
What does Canada need more and less of?
Canada needs more awareness and action on ensuring the preservation of its beautiful lands—coast to coast to coast—for the next generations. We can’t keep taking our environment for granted. Canada needs less diversion into divisionary politics that encourage a splitting of our population into “us” and “them.” We have to be responsible for our neighbours, our brothers and sisters, and ourselves. We are a community... not an island.
How has your view of feminism changed over your lifetime?
As a young woman, I was given opportunities and anything seemed possible, but as I became experienced, I was seen as a greater and greater threat to many men in positions of authority. Though women have made some progress in the march toward equality, it remains extremely important to be supportive of other women leaders, so I have done my best to mentor and nurture them. Moreover, women must push back against the onslaught of violence against women, and this can only happen when policies and people work in unison to undo previous sociocultural norms that allowed, and in some cases encouraged, this violence.
What gives you courage?
The responsibility of others depending on me, and the belief that what I am doing is right and good.
What is your vision for Canada in twenty years?
I hope that my Canada is environmentally intact, peaceful, very diverse, and a place where there’s gender equality and no domestic or intimate partner violence, and where all children have quality early learning and care and are treasured by society as a whole. I see a Canada that has a strong democracy and people who are thoughtful and speak out on issues important to them. A Canada where the media is diverse with true freedom of speech, where corporate interests take a back seat to community interests, and where politicians are actually accountable to the citizens who elect them and not to political parties (which maybe by then will have gone the way of the dodo bird). A Canada that is respected in the world for its humanitarianism, education system, employment standards, high-quality jobs, zero tolerance of violence, timely and fair legal system, and exceptional supports for all its people.
What will it take to achieve gender parity?
Gender parity will occur when government policies at all levels support gender equality and when institutions insist on near-equal representation of women and men in various professions and institutions, including board membership. This will not happen without major pushback from those who do not support more involvement by women, so it is a major challenge.
Gender parity will also require adequate child sup
port systems: in Canada, we do not have affordable quality child learning and care available to all who need it. Without appropriate childcare and support, women will be unable to fully participate in the workforce. To rectify this problem, there will need to be a change in perception by the general public of the importance of early child development and a willingness to invest in children as part of the investment in the future of the country.
If you were to get a tattoo of one word, what would it be?
“Love.”
Shushma Datt
“Success is realizing my dream of being a broadcaster and doing what I love every day, seven days a week.”
Birthplace Dublin, Ireland
What age do you feel 28 (actually 71 years old)
Occupation Broadcaster
Book you gift most Your Days Are Numbered
Favourite drink Virgin Caesar
Favourite place in Canada Burnaby, BC
What is your vision for Canada in twenty years?
Glorious, gracious, giving Canada.
If you could have dinner with any woman, alive or dead, who would it be?
Mrs. Gandhi, Amelia Earhart, Queen of Jhansi. But most of all my mom, who passed away fifteen years ago. I never told her how much I loved her.
What will it take to achieve gender parity?
We need to question our fathers if we are treated differently from our brothers. We have to ask our brothers to be feminist and encourage our sons to practise gender parity.
Tell us about a time when you had to summon all of your courage.
The one that stands out happened in 1986. I had interviewed then Prime Minister of India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi. The interview aired in Vancouver in May. The Indian Army attacked the holiest shrine of the Sikhs on June 6. One morning I heard my name was on the “Hit List” plastered on the Main Street Punjabi Market walls. I sent a camera crew to film the graffiti and soon I started getting death threats. I suddenly lost my job with the pay television station I was working for, as most subscribers cancelled their subscriptions in protest. The death threats continued. I gave myself a job by starting I.T. Productions Ltd. Burnaby RCMP received information that I would be assaulted while out in the Punjabi Market. My younger brother was getting married and I had no option but to accompany my mother to Main Street to do some wedding shopping. As we entered the market, I saw an older woman standing at the end of the shop. The shopkeeper said she was waiting for someone. I was busy with Mom, choosing fabric, when I had a strong urge to look back. The woman gestured me to go to her. She hugged me tight and whispered in my ear that I need not worry: she and many friends were all on Main Street and they would not let anyone harm me. She then said, “You are our girl who has always fought our fights. We will not let anyone touch you. Go and shop freely. We are here.” It gave me more courage and reminded me that when you are doing your job without bias, you have protectors.
Jean Hough Davey
“Being Canadian means taking pride in our tolerance, sincerity, universal healthcare, open borders, and so many other good things.”
Birthplace Hamilton, ON
What age do you feel 60
Occupation Retired stockbroker, and just completed my memoir, The Only Woman in the Room: The Making of a Stockbroker
Favourite drink Water
Favourite place in Canada Toronto
How has your view of feminism changed over your lifetime?
I began working in the 1950s, eventually becoming a licensed stock-broker—one of the first in North America—in 1963. By the time Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan launched the feminist movement, I’d been breaking barriers for years. So to me, feminism was something I’d been doing on my own for a long time—without burning my bra!
People say I paved the way for other women. I suppose I did—not by highlighting the differences between the sexes, but rather by diminishing them. I believe it’s a mistake to make generalizations about people’s talent, performance, patterns, and emotions in the workplace. Everyone is different. In business, I see it as women and men rather than women versus men.
I’m proud of women who continue to break down barriers. And that is still how I see feminism: overcoming obstacles in order to get a level playing field, equal pay for work of equal work value, equal numbers of women on corporate boards. We certainly have a ways to go, unfortunately.
Tell us about a time when you had to summon all of your courage.
Without question, it was when I finally left my emotionally abusive second husband. He was charming and handsome, but he was a master manipulator who controlled and belittled me for over twenty years. It’s hard to understand how a strong woman like myself could have become so powerless and vulnerable.
I fled under dramatic circumstances, leaving a note and getting on an airplane—but that wasn’t the only challenge I faced in trying to regain control of my own life. In a surprise move, he brought a lawsuit against me that resulted in a precedent-setting decision requiring me to pay him “lifestyle support” in spite of our prenuptial agreement. I even managed to recover my spirit after the trial, as well as my heart. I even found new, true love, and married again at sixty-five.
What message would you put on a billboard, and where?
“Women, Own Your Successes and Aim Higher,” posted on university campuses—ideally, just below a stop sign.
If you were to get a tattoo of one word, what would it be?
“Dream!”
Natalie Zemon Davis
“We are all human and share this planet together.”
Birthplace Detroit, Michigan
What age do you feel The age I am—88
Occupation Scholar, historian, writer
Book you gift most Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Novels
Favourite place in Canada Home
How has your view of feminism changed over your lifetime?
In college, I thought primarily in terms of the issues in my own life: women being fully active in the intellectual world, student government, and politics. The more innovative challenge was in 1948, when my husband, Chandler, and I eloped, and in my subsequent years in graduate school, thinking how to combine marriage and children with my continuing work. Our marriage began with that assumption. But we had few if any role models, and we had to improvise and use imagination and patience. Once the more structured Feminist movement began in the 1960s, I moved in wider directions—thinking of much broader issues. In 1971, Jill Conway and I founded one of the first Canadian courses on the history of women. I now saw the political issues as much more extensive than just those surrounding personal choice and family life.
Tell us about a time when you had to summon all of your courage.
In the 1950s, during the McCarthyite period of the Red Hunt, my husband and I—who had been politically active—were the target of attacks. First, in 1952, the Department of State picked up our passports. This was devastating for me because I desperately needed to get back to the Lyon archives for my doctoral research. And then in 1953–54, my husband was summoned to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee and refused to answer their questions solely on the grounds of the First Amendment. He thereby invited a court case to test the constitutionality of HUAC, and indeed he was soon accused of “contempt of Congress.” He was also fired from the University of Michigan. That was in the spring of 1954: we had just had our first child and I was pregnant with our second. In the next years, he struggled to find another post and to fight his contempt of Congress case, while I struggled to write my doctoral dissertation without benefit of further archival access. In 1960, he lost his first amendment challenge, and had to serve his six-month sentence in prison.
But we managed! We had lots of support from friends. He continued to work on his mathematics, even writing articles while in prison. Using rare book libraries in New York and Providence, I finished my thesis and got my PhD in 1959, and published several important articles along the way. We had our third child in 1957, and
the children brought us continuing delight.
If you were to get a tattoo of one word, what would it be?
“Hope.”
Lisa de Wilde
“People who have moral courage and resist noise, mobs, and outdated conventional wisdoms give me courage.”
Birthplace Nairobi, Kenya
What age do you feel 45
Canada 150 Women_Conversations with Leaders, Champions, and Luminaries Page 8