The Impact Of World War II On Canadian Women

As Canada entered World War II on September 10, 1939, the rise for women’s participation in the war effort increased significantly. The economic and social change from World War II influenced Canadian women to assume diverse responsibilities to support the Allies. During this time, women employment was temporary and only encouraged throughout the war. However, by assuming the non-traditional roles left behind by many men as they left to fight in the war, Canadian women were major contributors to the war effort. These women challenged the existing social belief of distinct gender roles through the work they accomplished, helping improve women’s rights in the future. This transitional period in history briefly abandoned traditional gender roles,

Such movements have been inspired by feminism, the belief that women should have political, social and economic equality with men. Feminists have sought equal legal rights, voting rights, and access to political office for women. They have demanded that women be able to enjoy an equal social status and have an equal access to public facilities, schools, and private organizations. They have fought to give women equal opportunities for jobs, pay, and promotions. Feminism in Canada was stimulated largely by the labor force demand in factory industries during the World Wars. During the growth of factory industries, a middle class arose with values that prevented women from working outside of the home. Consequently, they were completely dependent on their husbands’ income for survival. Many middle-class women were aware of this dependence and as a result, some took action through feminist causes. While social values did not keep working-class wives from taking jobs outside the home. According to Roberta Hamilton, in feudal and capitalist societies, “women have always had to support their families”. Therefore, many working-class wives were forced to take jobs in factories to be able to provide for their families. They usually received very low wages and worked under horrible conditions. Consequently, the working-class women attempted to take full advantage of the new opportunities and options that the war environment provided,

New opportunities opened up for women that were never available before. By working for wages, women were able to work on rebuilding the economy. By volunteering their time, women were able to help on the homefront. They gathered supplies and organized fundraisers that proved very useful for the war effort. Women also took up jobs left behind by the soldiers who went to fight overseas. Although initially many rejected the idea of enlisting women into the Canadian military, they quickly changed their mind when they realized women were more than capable of reaching out and succeeding into the spheres of male roles. Through organizations such as Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service, the Canadian Women’s Air Corps, the Women’s Division of the Royal Canadian Air Force, women also proved themselves militarily. Women were recruited out of necessity and encouraged to leave domestic duties to play a more important role in the economy, allowing them to redefine traditional gender roles through their involvement in the work force. The role of women in modern society is constantly changing. With every new generation, ideas of societal norms are altered and adapted to fit the values of the accepted culture of that time. Would our present