Born Paula Therese O'Neill in Liverpool, UK in 1941, she holds undergraduate degrees in history and education from the University of Leeds, and an M.A.
Bourne spent two years as a schoolteacher and lecturer in the UK before taking a one-year teaching position in Chicago, Illinois in 1965.
In 1984 she became a research associate, also acting as coordinator of OISE's Centre for Women's Studies in Education from 1989 to 1999.
At the request of the Government of Ontario's Ontario Women's Directorate, Bourne developed curriculum resources to help teachers deal with violence in schools; developed materials to combat date and acquaintance rape on college and university campuses; and led an expert education panel which produced two handbooks and a DVD to help elementary teachers identify children in their classrooms who are or may be witnessing woman abuse at home.
[13] Books Toronto YWCA Woman of Distinction Special Award] (1991) for co-authoring Canadian Women: A History, 1st edition.