Dr. Blair explores the women's movement in Ontario

In "Teenage Feminists: High School Students and the Women's Movement in Ontario, 1968-1980," Dr. Megan Blair explored the ways in which teenagers engaged in feminism during the upsurge of feminist activism during the late 1960s and 1970s. Her dissertation argues that girls participated in feminism in a multitude of ways such as challenging their exclusion on sports teams, wearing pants to school, or taking industrial arts classes. Girls also engaged in more explicit forms of feminism such as advocating for reproductive rights or joining women's liberation groups.

Megan's defence was held on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 at the University of Waterloo. Her supervisor was Dr. Jane Nicholas, professor of history at St. Jerome's University/University of Waterloo. Her committee members included Dr. Tarah Brookfield, professor of history at Wilfrid Laurier University, and Dr. Kristina Llewellyn, professor of history at McMaster University. Dr. Katharine Rollwagen, professor of history at Vancouver Island University, was the external examiner. Dr. Shana MacDonald associate professor of Communication Arts at the University of Waterloo, was the internal/external examiner.

Dr. Blair hopes to transform her dissertation into a book manuscript and continue teaching and researching in Fall, 2025. "I hope for my next research project to look at youths' engagement in electoral politics during the 1970s," she says. 

"A highlight of my time as a doctoral student," reflects Megan, "was being the graduate student representative on the Canadian Committee on Women and Gender History from 2021-2025. This role allowed me to connect with students and faculty members working on women's and gender history from across the country."