Why aren't there more famous women in Acadian history?

For a long time, it was believed that only men were able to excel in public life, be it in politics, journalism, business, or the professions. Women did not even have the right to vote or own a house or land. There were no women delegates at the Acadian national conventions, and there were no female MLAs at that time.

However, some women became teachers after attending the Normal School or sometimes with nothing more than a grammar school education. From the 1850s on, these teachers provided a basic education for many of the builders of Acadia and opened up the gates of knowledge to them.

It would be unthinkable not to mention the work done by Acadian wives and mothers. It was the mothers, far more than the fathers, who kept families together. Fathers who fished for a living could be gone for days at a time, or even months if they worked as woodcutters. More educated fathers who had become MLAs or judges or public administrators also had to be away much of the time. In contrast, mothers stayed at home. They managed the farm if there was one, as was most often the case. That meant they had to feed the animals, milk the cows, fetch wood for the stove, and do minor repairs. They had their children to help them, but they were the ones in charge. Women whose husbands were merchants usually did the bookkeeping and budgeting. Women whose husbands were involved in public life kept the house neat and tidy, received visitors, and set the tone for social gatherings in the home.

In 1900 or thereabouts, groups of women in many countries began demanding the right to vote. Although there were no large-scale movements of that nature among New Brunswick Acadians, many women definitely wanted the vote. In one of her letters to the editor of L'Évangéline, Marichette openly demanded the right to vote. Meanwhile, others wanted things to remain as they were.

Women were finally granted the right to vote in the 1918 federal election. The Province of New Brunswick gave them that right in the 1919 election. This was a major milestone in women's long struggle for equality with men. However, it was not until 1967 that a woman ran for office in a New Brunswick provincial election. That woman was Brenda May Robertson, and she was elected and became a minister in the government of Richard Hatfield. The first Francophone woman to be elected to the Legislative Assembly was Pierrette Ringuette-Maltais of Madawaska. She is now a senator, like Rose-Marie Losier-Cool and Viola Léger.