Women Workers, Employment Policy and the State: The Establishment of the Ontario Women's Bureau, 1963-1970

Abstract

In 1963, the Ontario Government established a Women's Bureau within the Department of Labour to do research, public relations work, and policy development relating to working women in the province. This article examines the early evolution of the Women's Bureau from 1963 to 1970 assessing the reasons for its establishment and the successes and failures of its early programs designed to aid working women. The Bureau urged the government to consider anti-discrimination legislation, and in 1970 it helped to develop new legislation designed to enhance women's equality by legalizing maternity leave, banning discrimination based on marital status, and abolishing job posting by sex. Drawing on recent debates about the state and employment policy, particularly those looking at the relationship between feminist and labour activists and the state, this article asks whose interests the Bureau represented, and whether or not this state-initiated legislation designed to enhance gender equality was effective, either in the short or long term. Resumes En 1963, le gouvernement ontarien etablit un Bureau des femmes au sein du Departement du Travail pour effectuer la recherche, le travail de relations publiques et la preparation de politiques concernant les femmes actives de la province. Cet article examine l'evolution de ce Bureau entre 1963 et 1970 pour comprendre les raisons de son etablissement et les succes et echecs de ses premiers programmes visant a venir en aide aux Ontariennes. Le Bureau pressa le gouvernement de considerer des mesures anti-discriminatoires et, en 1970, il contribua a la preparation d'une nouvelle loi visant a accroitre l'egalite des femmes. Cette loi legalisa le conge de maternite, interdit la discrimination basee sur le statut marital et abolit la definition de postes selon le sexe. Cet article s'appuie sur les debats recents portant sur l'Etat et la politique d'emploi, particulierement ceux concernant la relation entre feministes et militant souvriers, et l'Etat, pour demander quels interets le Bureau cherche-t-il a representer et si les mesures initiees par l'Etat pour accroitre l'egalite de genre etaient efficaces a court et a moyen terme.