Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
- Lenskyj, Helen Jefferson
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
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Description area
Dates of existence
History
Helen Lenskyj is a Professor Emerita of OISE, and a specialist in equality and gender studies, and women in sport. Lenskyj was born 15 April 1943 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. She received a Diploma in Early Childhood Education from the Sydney Kindergarten Teachers’ College in 1964. In 1966, she immigrated to Canada. She began part-time undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto in 1972, ultimately obtaining her B.A. in 1977, her M.A. in 1981, and her P.h.D. in 1983. Prior to her graduation from the University of Toronto, Lenskyj worked for the Ontario Ministry of Culture and Recreation in numerous capacities related to early childhood education and Teaching English as a Second Language programs.
Over the course of her career, she has held numerous academic positions within the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (Department of Adult Education and Department of Sociology in Education) and the University of Toronto School of Physical Health and Education. She became an Associate Professor in the Department of Adult Education in 1991 (having worked as a sessional instructor and teaching assistant for several years prior), received tenure in 1993, and became a full professor in 1997. From 1994 to 1997, she was cross-appointed with the Cardiovascular Sciences Collaborative Program and from 1994 to 2007 she was cross-appointed with the Women’s Studies Collaborative Program.
Her main areas of research include equality and gender studies, women in sport, and the Olympic industrial-complex. She has participated and given addresses at several conferences and workshops and has written extensively over the course of her career. She is the author of several books, notably Out of Bounds: Women, sport and sexuality (Toronto: Women's Press, 1986), Inside the Olympic Industry: Power, Politics and Activism (Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 2000), and Out on the Field: Gender, Sport and Sexualities (Toronto: Women's Press, 2003).
In addition to her academic duties, Professor Lenskyj has been involved with many causes and community groups, notably the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport (CAAWS), the Broadside Feminist Group, and the Canadian Gay and Lesbian Archives. Notably, she played an instrumental role in the Campaign Against the Militarization of OISE in 2004-2005 and APUS’ campaign against the proposed Varsity Stadium student levy.
Lenskyj retired from the University of Toronto in 2007 and continues to live and work in Toronto.