Jill McCalla Vickers (born 1942) is a Canadian

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

political scientist Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

and retired emeritus professor at

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public university, public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to se ...

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. She is particularly notable for her work in the field of gender in politics.

Personal

Vickers was born in Britain during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in 1942, to an English mother and a father who was a Canadian serviceman posted in England. After the war she and her

war-bride War brides are women who married military personnel from other countries in times of war or during military occupations, a practice that occurred in great frequency during World War I and World War II. Allied servicemen married many women in o ...

mother followed her father to Canada, where they resided in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

, until her parents' divorce. Thereafter, she and her mother moved to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, where she graduated from Harbord Collegiate. She briefly attended Queen's University, transferring to

, where she graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

in 1965. She moved to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England, where she studied at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

, eventually earning a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

political philosophy Political philosophy studies the theoretical and conceptual foundations of politics. It examines the nature, scope, and Political legitimacy, legitimacy of political institutions, such as State (polity), states. This field investigates different ...

. She has been a professor at Carleton since 1971. She was married to the Carleton history professor Keith Johnson until his death in 2018.

Politics

Vickers is a self-described

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

and long-time activist and supporter of the

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britann ...

. She ran for a seat in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

, during the 1979 federal election as the candidate for the NDP for the riding of Ottawa—Carleton. She finished third, behind the Progressive Conservative incumbent

Jean Pigott Jean Elizabeth Morrison Pigott (May 20, 1924 – January 10, 2012) was a Canadian politician and businesswoman. She served as the member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Ottawa—Carleton from 1976 to 1979 as a member of the Progress ...

and the victorious Liberal candidate Jean-Luc Pépin. In 1984, she took part in a well-publicized debate at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

on the topic "Socialism or Capitalism: Which Is the Moral System?". Vickers and

Gerald Caplan Gerald Lewis "Gerry" Caplan (born 8 March 1938) is a Canadian academic, public policy analyst, commentator, and political activist. He has had a varied career in academia, as a political organizer for the New Democratic Party, in advocacy around ed ...

represented the side of socialism, against Objectivist philosophers John Ridpath and

Leonard Peikoff Leonard Sylvan Peikoff (; born October 15, 1933) is a Canadian American philosopher. He is an Objectivist and was a close associate of Ayn Rand, who designated him heir to her estate. Peikoff is a former professor of philosophy and host of a na ...

Awards and recognitions

The

Canadian Political Science Association The Canadian Political Science Association () is an organization of political scientists in Canada. It is a bilingual organization and publishes the bilingual journal ''Canadian Journal of Political Science''. The organization is headquartered in ...

has announced that the Jill Vickers Prize will be awarded to the author of the best paper presented, in English or French, at the annual conference of the Canadian Political Science Association on the topic of gender and politics.Canadian Political Science Association - Jill Vickers Prize
/ref> In 2003 Vickers was selected to be a

Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada Fellowship of the Royal Society of Canada (FRSC) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Canada judges to have "made remarkable contributions in the arts, the humanities and the sciences, as well as in Canadian public life" ...

. She is also a Chancellor's Professor of Political Science at Carleton.

Electoral record

References

External links

Carleton University bio
1942 births Alumni of the London School of Economics Canadian anti-capitalists Canadian feminists Canadian people of English descent Canadian socialists Candidates in the 1979 Canadian federal election Carleton University alumni Academic staff of Carleton University Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Living people New Democratic Party candidates for the Canadian House of Commons Socialist feminists Socialist politicians Presidents of the Canadian Political Science Association Ontario candidates for Member of Parliament {{canada-academic-bio-stub