Organizing Rural Women: The Federated Women's Institutes of Ontario, 1897-1919Kechnie places the WI within the context of the country life movement emanating from the United States, arguing that Ontario farm women's attempts to organize should be viewed as part of the Department of Agricultural's efforts to revive the flagging fortunes of the Farmers' Institutes and encourage farm women to embrace "scientific home management" in order to modernize farm homes and discourage the depopulation of Ontario's farms. While many men and women within the farm community supported the government's attempts to encourage "book farming," many others resisted the state's educational initiatives and identified with the independent farm movement. In order to ensure the success of the WI the Ontario Department of Agriculture provided funds to hire organizers and the organization was encouraged to develop branches outside farming areas, even if this meant ignoring the needs of farm women. By the end of the World War I the WI had become one of the largest women's organizations in the province but was widely known not for its emphasis on scientific home management but for its community activism. |
Contents
| 3 | |
The Historical Context of the Emergence of the Womens Institutes | 14 |
The Growth of the Womens Institutes before Federation | 38 |
Reflecting on the Leadership of the Womens Institutes | 61 |
The Relationship of Farm Women to the Womens Institutes | 78 |
Education as an Unresponsive Reform Tool | 93 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
activities Address Adelaide Hoodless Ambrose annual report areas argued Branch and District Brethour Canada Canadian claimed countryside Department of Agriculture discussion domestic science E.D. Smith economic example fact Farm and Dairy farm community farm home farm population Farmer's Advocate Federated Women's Institutes feminism Five Minute Reports George Putnam health reform Home and Country ibid improve independent farm movement Insti Institutes of Ontario interest J.L. Smith Kechnie Laura Rose lecturers living Macdonald Institute male farmers McIntyre Hood medical inspection membership milk modern Ontario Agricultural Ontario Agricultural College Ontario Department Ontario farm women organization's organizing farm particularly problems province Public Health Journal Reports of Branch role rural Ontario rural women scientific homemaking secretary small towns social speakers Stoney Creek Stoney Creek Women's suggest superintendent tion Toronto tutes twentieth century urban w.I. Report wi branches wI meetings wi's wives woman women's groups women's organization