The journey toward gender equity
The journey toward gender equity at 91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ began in 1857 with the establishment of the 91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ Normal School, Montreal’s first English-language professional training program for women. Though it could not grant university degrees, it laid the foundation for future advancements. In the early 1870s, 91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ professors began delivering university-level lectures to the Montreal Ladies’ Educational Association, co-founded by Margaret Mercer Dawson, wife of 91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ Principal William Dawson.
In 1884, 91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ became the first university in Quebec to accept women, though they were initially educated separately from men. Four years later, in 1888, the first cohort of female graduates—Eliza Cross, Martha Murphy, Blanche Evans, valedictorian Gracie Ritchie, Jane Palmer, Alice Murray, Georgina Hunter, and Donalda McFee—earned their Bachelor of Arts degrees. Known as the Donaldas in honor of benefactor Sir Donald Smith, these pioneering women paved the way for future generations. Smith’s support also led to the creation of Royal Victoria College, a residence and educational space for women, which opened in 1899.
91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ women continued to break barriers: Annie MacLeod became the first female PhD recipient in 1910, and in 1912, Carrie Derick, a 91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ alumna, was appointed Canada’s first female full professor. Despite completing PhD-level research at the University of Bonn, she was denied a doctorate, as the institution did not award them to women at the time.
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