Lola M. Lange (1922–25 December 2013) was a Canadian rural feminist and a member of the

Royal Commission on the Status of Women The Royal Commission on the Status of Women was a Canadian Royal Commission that examined the status of women and recommended steps that might be taken by the federal government to ensure equal opportunities with men and women in all aspects of ...

Biography

Lange was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. She took an interest in music during her childhood, and was both a pianist and an organist as a young adult. In 1943, she married Ottomar Lange and moved to his family farm near Claresholm. The farm's isolation, and the lack of a music scene in Claresholm, proved to be a culture shock for Lange. Deprived of her favorite pastimes, she took art classes and became involved in rural organizations such as

4-H 4-H is a U.S.-based network of youth organizations whose mission is "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development". Its name is a reference to the occurrence of the initial letter H four times i ...

and the Alberta Farm Wives' Union. She also had three daughters between 1944 and 1953. In 1967, the

Bank of Montreal The Bank of Montreal (BMO; french: Banque de Montréal, link=no) is a Canadian multinational investment bank and financial services company. The bank was founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1817 as Montreal Bank; while its head office remains in ...

awarded Lange a grant to study the effects of

continuing education Continuing education (similar to further education in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland) is an all-encompassing term within a broad list of post-secondary learning activities and programs. The term is used mainly in the United ...

on farmers. Her research and her work with rural groups, drew the attention of the Canadian government during the formation of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women, and she joined the commission to represent the interests of rural women. According to Lange, she was invited to join the commission through a surprise call to her home from Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson. Lange initially committed to serve one year on the commission, but ultimately served for four years. The commission listened to the testimony and concerns of women at hearings across Canada; at Lange's urging, they also set up a telephone line for women too isolated or busy to attend the hearings. Despite the occasionally adverse responses to their effort – at one hearing, a male audience member suggested that women who smoked should be shot, likely alluding to Lange's cigarette-smoking habit – the commission collected hundreds of responses from women across Canada. Lange and

Florence Bird Florence Bayard Bird, (January 15, 1908 – July 18, 1998) was a Canadian broadcaster, journalist, and Senator. She is best known for her work as chairwoman of Royal Commission on the Status of Women. Born Florence Rhein in Philadelphia, ...

also travelled to Canada's northern territories to interview

indigenous Canadians In Canada, Indigenous groups comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. Although ''Indian'' is a term still commonly used in legal documents, the descriptors ''Indian'' and ''Eskimo'' have fallen into disuse in Canada, and most consider them ...

for the project. The committee distributed a report on its findings in 1970. As no copies of the report were initially available in Alberta or Saskatchewan, Lange lobbied the government to increase its distribution of the report; due to the efforts of her and the other commissioners, nearly 20,000 copies of the report were eventually sold. Lange later concluded that her role on the commission had helped her develop an identity as a woman, rather than just as a wife or a mother. Her time away from home had a negative effect on her marriage, and she divorced her husband and took a job of her own shortly after returning to Alberta. According to her daughter Nadine, she did not talk about her time on the commission later in her life, which Nadine attributed to the custom of her generation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lange, Lola M. 1922 births 2013 deaths People from Edmonton Canadian feminists