Feminist Constitutionalism in Canada

This chapter examines the Canadian Constitution through feminist lenses. It proposes a feminist framework to evaluate constitutional law. Feminist constitutionalism aims to promote women’s agency and to protect their rights fully. Feminist constitutionalism examines women’s agency in constitutional law. It also examines critically the interpretation of traditional rights, the impact of constitutionally structured diversity, and the approach to equality rights. Feminist constitutionalism pays attention to the constitutional protection of women’s reproductive rights and sexual autonomy (domains of autonomy neglected by classical constitutionalism); it also aims to ensure women’s equal rights within the family, and to promote women’s socioeconomic development and democratic rights. This chapter develops the idea of feminist constitutionalism and uses this framework to evaluate critically some aspects of Canadian women’s constitutional experience.

Agency (philosophy) · Autonomy · Constitution · Constitutional law · Constitutionalism · Democracy · Fundamental rights · Human rights · Political science · Politics · Social science · Sociology · Judicial and Constitutional Studies · Law · Multicultural Socio-Legal Studies