Dr. Dorothy Smith: A pioneer for women who put OISE on the international map for feminist scholarship
March 1, 2016
Watch the video above to hear Dorothy Smith talk about one of the major changes she helped fight for the benefit female teachers today – including her daughter-in-law. (Video: OISE/YouTube)
Years ago, when Dr. Dorothy Smith and her colleagues realized the number of female teachers was in decline – and why – they knew it wasn’t right.
“It was because if they went on maternity leave, they only got a half year’s seniority, so their seniority would progressively fall behind,” she said.
Smith and her colleagues protested against the policy – and won.
“They managed to get the rules changed, so that even if you were on maternity leave, you got a full year’s seniority,” she said – noting that her daughter-in-law was recently on maternity leave and benefitted from the very change Smith helped fight for.
Find out more about Smith and her work in the fight for women’s rights in the video above, Dr. Dorothy Smith, OISE 50th Anniversary Reflections.
Plus - stay tuned for more coverage celebrating women at OISE next week as we lead up to International Women’s Day on Tuesday, March 8.
This year’s theme is #PledgeforParity – including pay equity, participation on boards and much more. Learn more about International Women's Day.
