In but that was temporary. In early 1900s

In 1919, only 11 Ontario women had managed to have a job in the government. These women had to overcome many obstacles to keep their jobs, but that was temporary. In early 1900s a group of women called “The Famous Five” initiated a case called “The Persons Case”, officially known as the “Edwards v Canada (AG).” The Persons Case began in 1916 when Emily Murphy, was appointed as the first female police magistrate in the British Empire. Later, she also became the leader of the Famous Five, which included; Henrietta Muir Edwards, Nellie McClung, Louise Crummy McKinney and Irene Parlby. The Famous Five changed people’s perspective on women by fighting for their rights. The following quote demonstrates how far these women were willing to go to receive their rights; “Whenever I don’t know whether or not to fight, I fight.” says Emily Murphy proving how seriously she thought of women rights. The Persons Case provoked changes within the government, economy and lifestyle of generations of people. The Persons Case granted women the opportunity to be active in politics. Before 1929 women did not play a big role in the Canadian government. The highest ranked job a woman could receive from the government was to be a judge. The reasoning was that women were not considered “persons” under  the British North American Act. Different behaviour towards women angered Emily Murphy which resulted in her efforts to get her rights. Her strong attitude is showcased in the quote, “We want women leaders today as never before. Leaders who are not afraid to be called names and who are willing to go out and fight. I think women can save civilization. Women are persons.” Thus, she gathered with four other women and created a group, now known as the Famous Five. Together they questioned Britain’s Privy Council about section 24 of the BNA Act, which claimed that women were not “persons”, making them ineligible to sit in the Senate. Emily took charge at points and matters into her own hand to gain equal rights for women in Canada. The Famous Five wrote many formal letters to the deputy minister of justice regarding their concerns and got many negative answers, but that did not stop them from pursuing their actions. On October 8, 1929, the judicial committee of the imperial Privy Council of Britain overturned the supreme court’s decision. The change resulted in women being considered as “Persons” under the BNA Act and allowed them to have a job in the Senate. Four months after the ruling, Cairine Reay Mackay Wilson became the first female senator in Canada proving that women had a say in politics. Slowly these changes started to also affect the economy.By considering women as human within the government, Canada’s economy began to improve. The changes inspired many women to work and use their talents to the benefit of themselves and their country. On February 15, 1930 Cairine Reay Mackay Wilson became the first women in the Senate. She is now one of the most well known women in the history of Canada and a secondary school in Orleans, Ontario is named after her. Her existence in the Senate encouraged other women to take part in government and economics, like Nora Frances Hederson. In 1931 Nora became the first woman to be elected to serve Hamilton’s city council. As more years passed, more women got involved in the government and women came up with new inventions. These inventions helped enhance the economy. New inventions created more job opportunities which resulted in more people to be able to afford luxuries. Ever since women were considered “persons”, lifestyles of generations of women changed.Soon after the ruling on The Persons Case, women started to become more active in the society. They invented new items, got elected for government jobs and even tried things such as acting and singing. Women’s lives were changed forever, which resulted in a controversy within the society. Women today owe The Famous Five for putting up a ten-year fight to achieve incredible changes. Women living in that period of time were given a second chance at pursuing their dreams, since most of them were fired or laid off from their wartime jobs. According to statistics from the time “Women were entering universities in large numbers and by 1930, 23% of all undergraduates and 35% of all graduate students were female.” The statistic shows that the Persons Case truly affected generations of women, because now women were getting educated and becoming more involved than before. The lifestyle of everyone had changed, even men. Men had to learn how to respect the women they were working with, which was not easy for many of these male workers because they did not believe women were mentally stable to make decisions in the Senate. Even to this day women are often doubted on whether or not they can complete a job like a man. However, women are well respected and play key roles in our society today.The Persons Case allowed for women to be more active in the Canadian government, economy and also resulted in the lifestyle change of many people during numerous generations. Over the years women have helped shape the country we now call Canada. They came up with new ideas and developments, achieved a voice and took on main roles in the government. The Famous five set an example for all women across the world by taking on the Persons Case. They showed women that they should fight for their rights and what they believe in. Without the hard work of the Famous Five, politics today would not be the same and women in this generation would still be suffering to have equal rights.