Can you name the achievements of famous women? According to a recent poll by Historica Canada, the majority of Canadians couldn’t name the accomplishment of some of history’s most well-known women. The poll found 37 per cent of respondents could identify Emily Carr as a painter and 27 per cent could name Lucy Maud Montgomery as the author of Anne of Green Gables. The numbers sunk down to between one and three per cent when it came to identifying the achievements of Indigenous women.
With International Women’s Day tomorrow, Moose FM went to the streets to find out how many famous women local residents could identify.
The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is Press for Progress, to show that work needs to continue for gender equality. Historica Canada President and CEO, Anthony Wilson-Smith, says they were surprised to see how few Canadians can identify the accomplishments of women who have played important roles in shaping this country.
The survey also asked respondents about the #MeToo movement and found Canadians are split on the topic. Around two in ten say it’s achieving its purpose, while another two in ten say it’s too early to tell.
The online poll was open between February 23rd and 26th, and had just over 1,000 responses.