Educational Media Reviews Online

In 1967, a Royal Commission was established to examine the inequalities faced by women in Canadian society. Of the 167 recommendations eventually put forth, the only one not addressed at least in part was related to childcare. No recommendations were made about the issue of violence against women. As Karen Cho’s film Status Quo?: The Unfinished Business of Feminism in Canada makes clear, the fight for equal treatment of women all across Canada continues more than 45 years later. As one woman in the film asserts, “We will be post-feminist when we have post-patriarchy.”

Cho crafts a compelling history of Canadian feminism by centering her narrative on several major issues: violence against women, abortion rights, and childcare. (Disc 2 of this two-disc set features thematic versions of the documentary organized by these topics.) Weaving archival television footage and photographs with footage from recent protests, feminist conferences and workshops, abuse survivor support groups, and interviews with longtime activists and scholars, Cho makes the case that much work remains to be done to ensure that women are treated equally in Canada.

Status Quo? offers a primer in women’s history from the latter half of the 20th century to the present day; as such, it should be essential viewing for students in Canadian studies, women’s and/or gender studies, or Native American studies courses. Public libraries with collections on feminism or Canadiana would also benefit. Status Quo? is a welcome complement to existing films documenting Canadian feminism such as RebELLEs: Le Film (2009) and The F Word: Who Wants to Be a Feminist? (2013).