Professors Judith Taylor and Ellen Berrey from U of T St. George's Sociology Department were recently featured in an article in Toronto's Metro News. The article highlights the legacy of the 2017 Women's March on Washington and plans for further marches in 2018 in countries including Canada. Professor Taylor and Professor Berrey are featured in the article discussing what these marches and other recent movements can mean for feminism and social change.
Professor Taylor researches social movements and feminist activism. Professor Berrey's research studies the effect of law, organizational practice, and culture on inequality. We have posted an excerpt of the article below.
'Going to see a massive change:' Women's Marches planned across Canada for 2018
From the Women's March to #MeToo, 2017 was a year for women fighting back. They'll keep marching in 2018.
May Warren | Wed Dec 27 2017
...Women around the world are preparing to march again. There will be marches all over Canada, including in Toronto on Jan. 20, said Sara Bingham, one of two executive directors for Women's March Canada. Marches are also planned across the U.S., including a signature one in Las Vegas, Nevada — a swing state that will be influential in the 2018 mid-term elections.
"The theme around the world is looking back, marching forward," said Bingham.
They'll be reaching out to local groups to get a diverse crowd, she added, a response to criticism the first time around that organizers and marchers were mainly white women.
Judith Taylor, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Toronto, sees a resurgence of feminism that builds on the work prior generations have done.
"I do think we're going to see a massive change," Taylor said, adding she believes the "cultural explosion" will filter down from elites like Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and his actress accusers.
"That dialogue then translates into a shift in consciousness, a shift in what's possible to say in your place of work, whether you're paid by the hour or you're a professional."...
...Ellen Berrey, also an assistant professor in the department of sociology at U of T, sees clear links between Trump, who has bragged on tape about sexual assault, the Women's March and #MeToo. But she's not sure if this year's news stories will lead to lasting impacts, especially for low-income women and women of colour.
"Is this going to become like, this thing that happened at the end of 2017, or is this a deeper sea change?" she asks.
Berrey said one of the paths to change, as well as revamping human-resources systems so they don't protect employers, is to get more women in positions of political power...
Read the full article here.