This week’s tidbits are focussing on women, as we mark International Women’s Day.
One of the little boys I tutor has recently become fascinated by biographies, especially those of famous women. One of the women he has written about, and then enthusiastically shares remembered facts and asks questions about every week, is the incredibly brave and determined Amelia Earhart. She was the first female pilot to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean. We looked up Atchison, Kansas, her birth place, as well as the location on the Pacific where her plane disappeared during her attempt to fly around the world approximately over the equator. Who is the woman you most admire? – Maria
I love to use power tools. However, in Ontario, women only make up about 5% of tradespeople and just 4% of on-site workers. Listen to this podcast with Andrea Del Zotto of Tridel, to hear her talk about women in the construction industry. Although there are only a small percentage of female construction managers, she feels that women have come a long way in this traditionally male-dominated field.
I think in another life I may come back as a woodworker. @leahhoughtalingwoodworking and @claraswoodshop are two of my woodworking heroes on Instagram. They do very different work, but they are both fantastic at what they do, serious about the quality of the workmanship, funny and like to take risks. In other words, they are brilliant! Have you ever used power tools? – Cris
These women are gleaning: gathering up the last bits of grain after the men have passed with their pitchforks and loaded the wagons, which can be seen in the background. One way to interpret this is that women and men working together, focussed on a shared goal, is one of the main ways to achieve success harmoniously. – Maria
I love this old tea bag container. I love the old computer and the corded phone. Some of that may be outdated but the busyness of the work day is still the same. We have come a long way, but we still have so far to go before there is true equality in terms of pay, job opportunities and stereotypes.
The first female bus drivers in Toronto were Mrs. McCutcheon, Mrs. Wilkinson and Mrs. Martin, in 1943.
The first female doctor to practice in Canada was Emily Howard Stowe, opening her practice in 1867. She was given her license by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario in 1880. Her daughter, Augusta Stowe-Gullen, was the first woman to receive her medical degree in Canada, graduating from Women’s Medical College in 1883. – Cris
The first woman to attend university was Bettisia Gozzadini of Italy. She received her law degree from the University of Bologna in 1237. Bettisia began by teaching her students in her home or in the town square, and was very popular. After a few years of this, she was given permission by the Bishop, Enrico Dalla Fratta, to teach law at the University of Bologna.
One legend is that Bettisia wore a “foulard”, a veil, over her head, or sat behind a screen to allow the students to concentrate on what she was teaching, rather than be distracted by her beauty. – Cris
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