A Diversity of Women: Ontario, 1945-1980

Terry A. Crowley is an associate professor of history at the University
of Guelph and the author of Agnes Macphail and the Politics of Equality.

In this carefully selected collection of historical essays about Ontario
women in the post–World War II era, award-winning University of
British Columbia historian Joy Parr has chosen to stress their
diversity. The essays included focus on gender ideology, the experiences
of suburban life, women as consumers and as workers, immigrants,
farmers, Native women, francophones, and organized women’s movements.
While not all of the contributions are equally valuable, some sparkle.
Parr’s essay about buying a good stove turns out to be a wonderful
parable about gender, design, and the marketplace. Not only does this
collection demonstrate the historian’s art, but its emphasis on
diversity is likely to influence future historical writings about the
subject.