Isabel Atkinson (1891–1968) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

born

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

women's rights activist Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

, sociologist and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

who became president of the

Consumers' Association of Canada The Consumers' Association of Canada, founded in 1947, is a Canadian independent, volunteer-based, consumer organization. Based nationally in Ottawa with regional branches in Montreal, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Vancouver, the organization focuses ...

Biography

Atkinson was born in Bramley,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

on July 22, 1891. After her father's death, she emigrated with her mother and brother to

Waterbury, Connecticut Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, southwest of Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the second-largest city in New Haven County, Connecticut. According to the 2020 US Census, in 20 ...

in the

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. Aged 14, she worked in a factory, and the conditions there propelled her to campaign for women's rights. In 1914 she moved to

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

to live on her brother's farm in Strasbourg, working as a farm hand and in 1919 she relocated to

Kerrobert, Saskatchewan Kerrobert is a town in west central Saskatchewan. It has a population of 970 (2021) Kerrobert is served by Highway 21, Highway 31 and Highway 51 as well as the Canadian Pacific Railway. It is approximately east of the Saskatchewan/Alberta bord ...

, where she lived for some 25 years with her mother. Working as a

librarian A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users. The role of the librarian has changed much over time, ...

over this time she acquired an avid interest in social studies, particularly concerned with housing for the poor and the condition of

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

. Four years after her mother's death she moved to

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

, where she was able to publish her social concerns, in newspapers such as the ''

Star-Phoenix ''The StarPhoenix'' is a daily newspaper that serves Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, and is a part of Postmedia Network. The ''StarPhoenix'' puts out six editions each week and publishes one weekly, ''Bridges''. It is also part of the canada.com ...

'' and the ''

Winnipeg Free Press The ''Winnipeg Free Press'' (or WFP; founded as the ''Manitoba Free Press'') is a daily (excluding Sunday) broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It provides coverage of local, provincial, national, and international news, as well as ...

'' which went on to print her extracts in pamphlets. In 1954, there in Saskatoon she became the Saskatchewan president of the

(CAC), later becoming the Canadian leader from 1956 to 1960. In the 1960s, she continued to research into social issues and was active in the Saskatoon Council of Women before her death on August 11, 1968.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atkinson, Isabel 1891 births 1968 deaths Canadian women's rights activists British women's rights activists Canadian people of English descent Canadian expatriates in England Saskatchewan society Canadian philanthropists Canadian sociologists Canadian women philanthropists 20th-century philanthropists Canadian women sociologists British emigrants to Canada 20th-century women philanthropists