Rethinking March 8
Every year, International Women's Day arrives with flowers, social media tributes, and feel-good posts about how far women have come. But Ottawa historian and University Professor Jacqueline Murray wants us to slow down before we uncork the champagne.
In a recent conversation on The Brian Crombie Hour, Murray made a compelling case that March 8 isn't a celebration. It's a warning. The strides made in gender equality over the past century, she argues, are not inevitable, permanent, or even safe.
Progress Is Reversible
Murray's central argument is one that doesn't get enough airtime: rights, once won, can be taken away. History is full of examples where women's access to education, political participation, and bodily autonomy was expanded, and then quietly, or sometimes rapidly, rolled back.
"We act as if progress moves in one direction," Murray said, "but the historical record shows us otherwise."
For Ottawans who follow national and global politics, the observation hits close to home. Debates over reproductive rights, pay equity, and representation in leadership are live issues, not settled ones.
What the Numbers Actually Say
Canada scores well on global gender equality indices, but the data beneath those rankings is more complicated. Women still earn less than men for comparable work. They shoulder a disproportionate share of unpaid caregiving. Women in politics and executive leadership remain significantly underrepresented relative to the population.
In Ottawa specifically, a city powered by the federal public service, these gaps play out in real and visible ways. Despite policies aimed at equitable hiring and promotion, senior ranks in both government and business still skew heavily male.
A Day to Reflect, Not Just Celebrate
Murray's reframing isn't pessimistic. It's a call to stay alert. The point of International Women's Day, in her reading, is not to congratulate ourselves on how enlightened we've become, but to look clearly at what remains undone and what could be undone if we're not paying attention.
That means engaging with the harder questions: Who still faces barriers that most of us never encounter? Whose progress counts when we say "women have come so far"? Which women are being left behind or left out of the narrative entirely?
The Work Continues
For Ottawans who want to move beyond the symbolic gestures, Murray points toward civic engagement: supporting women running for office at every level, advocating for paid parental leave policies, and calling out wage gaps in workplaces and institutions we're part of.
March 8 can be a moment to honour real sacrifices and real achievements. But if we let it become purely a marketing moment, we risk missing the urgency that the day was originally designed to carry.
Progress isn't a ratchet. It can slip. And the best way to honour the women who built what we have is to make sure we don't lose it.
Source: Ottawa Life Magazine / The Brian Crombie Hour
