A place for everyone, but everyone in their place : the inclusion of female students, staff, and faculty at the University of Saskatchewan, 1907-1922

Abstract

The 1907 University of Saskatchewan Act stated that “no women shall by reason of her sex be deprived of any advantage or privilege accorded to male students of the university” . This study explores whether or not this piece of progressive and prescriptive legislation was adhered to by university administrators, male faculty, staff, and students. Using the ample primary source material available in the University Archives Special Collections, this thesis has examined the demographic, cultural, and lived experiences of the women at the university from 1909 to 1922 and concluded that although the administration employed many inclusive policies, the internal culture and experiences of the women who worked, learned, and lived at the university were far less egalitarian than that described in University Act. This study offers a new prairie perspective and as such constitutes an important addition to the discussion concerning the experience of the first generation of female university scholars in Canada.