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Contemporary Quebec In The Twentieth Century

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In many ways, contemporary Quebec is a drastically different society than the Quebec of the early twentieth century. No longer can the majority of Quebecers be described as religious, rural, and conservative; instead they are generally secular, urban, and liberal. This transformation has come about largely because of the change in values that occurred as Quebec modernized: today’s Quebec is built around the values of secularism, gender equality, and the primacy of the French language, principles that would have seemed outlandish a few generations ago. Change triggers the urge to ask questions, and in this case, the question raised is whether or not Quebec society is better off as a result of its commitment to these values. In my opinion, one …show more content…

Women were unable to vote until 1940, did not participate significantly in politics until the 1960s, and had very few options for employment or higher education, unless they joined a religious order. Even in the latter half of the twentieth century women had fewer rights than men, faced greater challenges in pursuing education and careers, and had to fight to make their voices heard. Overall, before committing to gender equality, Quebec was a highly dichotomized society in which men operated in the public sphere while women remained in the private one, and I believe that this hurt everyone, by limiting their choices of how they could live their …show more content…

Women attain higher education, have greater control of their bodies, make their own choices, and work in all professions, including politics. Obviously, women have thus benefited from this value change, and in my opinion, that alone makes modern Quebec a superior society to the older one. I would contend, however, that men have benefited as well, for they too are now freer to choose a lifestyle that appeals to them, rather than the one that men are expected to live. They also benefit from the inclusion of individuals with alternate skills and viewpoints in Quebec’s public sphere, and from greater protection of their own rights against gender discrimination. Moreover, a society that cares about gender equality is more likely to care about other types of equality as well, and in my opinion, this is true in the case of Quebec. While there are certainly still challenges to be addressed, Quebec society is now more inclusive, diverse, and just, and I believe that commitment to gender equality is related to this improvement. The last central value of modern Quebec society is the primacy of the French language, and here, too, I believe that Quebec society was less healthy before this value was committed to. Although the vast majority of Quebecers spoke French,

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