The common assumption of women, in the past, is that they are inferior to men, that their role in life is to cook, clean, take care of children, sew, and knit "housework. However, in Canada, as time passed, the roles of women have changed considerably; their role in society has grown from being trapped in the house to stronger and more powerful positions in society. It is evident that women in the twentieth century have struggled to jump over many hurdles to accomplish many endeavours, especially in political affairs. Throughout my essay I will be discussing the roles of three extraordinary women in Canada's history and how they struggled to overcome the barriers to achieve the significant experiences that they accomplished: Emily Murphy, the first woman judge in the British Empire, and the important position she had in the Persons Case, Agnes Macphail and the struggles she had as Canada's first female to be elected into Parliament and the career of Kim Campbell, Canada's first female Prime Minister of Canada. Their actions have helped women in Canada take steps towards becoming equals. The Persons Case was a substantial event in Canadian history.
Emily Murphy was a passionate fighter for women's rights. She had a strong career as a well-known author under the pen name "Janey Canuck- and she wrote many books and articles for magazines and newspapers mainly about Canadian life. Emily Murphy is also known as the national president of Canadian Women's Press club, the president of the Federated Women's Institute of Canada, and played an active role in the National Council of Women (Cochrane 45). Coming from a political family, Murphy's first political position took place in 1910, when she persuaded the Alberta legislature to pass the Married Women's Relief Act; this authorized the court to provide a widow with something from her departed husbands estate if he had not done so in his will (Dranoff 49).