A timeline of women in Canada's history

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Release date: October 1, 2024
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Infographic: A timeline of women in Canada's history
Description: A timeline of women in Canada's history

1867: Dr. Emily Stowe, the first woman physician to practise in Canada

  • In 2021, 1 in 2 general practitioners and family physicians in Canada were women.

1903: Emma Baker, the first woman to receive a Ph.D. from a Canadian university

  • In 2021, 113,870 women in Canada had a doctorate, representing about 2 in 5 people with a doctorate. Of these women, 44.8% were immigrants.

1921: Agnes Macphail, the first woman elected to the House of Commons

Jean Augustine, the first Black Canadian woman, was elected in 1993

  • In 2023, there were 103 elected women members of Parliament, accounting for 30.6% of all MPs.

1954: Elsie Knott, the first woman elected Chief of a First Nation community

  • In 2019, almost 1 in 5 Chiefs of First Nation communities were women.

1960: All women in Canada have the right to vote

  • In 2020, 81.1% of racialized women and 88.1% of non-racialized women aged 18 and older in Canada reported voting in the previous federal election.

2001: The Bilson Task Force on pay equity is appointed

  • From 2001 to 2023, the gender wage gap in average hourly wages among employees aged 25 to 54 narrowed from 19% to 13%.

2015: First gender-balanced Cabinet in Canadian history

  • In 2023, almost half of ministers appointed to federal Cabinet were women.

2023: Women’s labour force participation rate reaches 85.5%

  • Women play a key role in the Canadian economy as workers, entrepreneurs and unpaid caregivers. In 2023, 85.5% of women aged 25 to 54 participated in the labour force.

Notes:

  • For 2021 Census data, the category “women” includes women as well as some non-binary persons.
  • Data on racialized women are measured using the “visible minority” variable.

Sources: Statistics Canada, tables 10-10-0137-01, 14-10-0327-02, 14-10-0417-01, 41-10-0048-01, 43-10-0066-01, 98-10-0404-01 and 98-10-0430-01.

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Published by authority of the Minister responsible for Statistics Canada.

© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Industry, 2024

Use of this publication is governed by the Statistics Canada Open Licence Agreement.

Catalogue no. 11-627-M

Frequency: Occasional

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