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Women's Role In Ww1

Decent Essays

Throughout the existence of humans, women have been reprimanded, oppressed, and have been completely controlled by the male population. Women have been degraded, oppressed, and controlled with no room for retribution. Whether it is an over-controlling father, or an abusive husband, women have had barely any say in what happened to them. They were robots-child bearers, and housewives before they were persons. Only during the 20th century did women start to make an impact and gain some headway towards gender equality. As opportunities occurred women reached, grasped and seized them. They used these opportunities to their full potential. The role of women in WW1, the Person’s Case, and the Famous Five, were all-important turning points in the …show more content…

The start of the 20th century was vital to the proclamation of gender equality. It showed women as important figures in society and that they could make just as big of an impact on the world as men could. Even though women weren’t the ones who were fighting in combat, they helped with the war effort. They sewed socks and other pieces of clothing for men in the war. This helped prevent the soldier’s from suffering from diseases like trench foot. They provided money for the war effort, took care of their children at home too. Some women even worked in the factories to maintain Canadian economy. In fact, by 1914, about 20% of the workers in the workforce were female. There were about 2400 female nurses that saw first hand the effects of the horrific battles. These contributions were vital because they gave women something they could use as a base to fight off of. Theses situations showed women’s capability and that they were strong, not helpless beings. This showed that women were capable of anything that men could do. The Prime Minister of the time, Robert Borden, promised that women could vote after the war. This started the first wave of feminism. Now that women could vote, they had a legitimate say in what happened in the …show more content…

Throughout the 1930s and World War 2, women changed their role and showed how committed they were to the politics through Agnes Macphail. Women played a vital role in WW2 by participating in directing planes in the Royal Air Force, as well as cleaning, cooking, and supporting the men in military bases. Over 46000 women from Canada were enrolled in the military. Back at home, women took care of the house and children and also worked in ammunition factories. By 1944 1,000,000 women were apart of the Canadian workforce. Sadly, the public mind seemed to still expect women to give up their jobs as soon as the soldiers came back. Nevertheless, just like in the previous war, women’s contributions continued to give them a basis to fight off of. Women showed that their participation in WW2 proved that they were more than just mothers or housewives. By participating in WW2 women once again showed their worth and had sewn seeds for a new wave of feminism. Women finally began to push the limits and enter careers that were of higher levels, as well as going into politics. They had started to develop more community organizations and services for women. Agnes Macphail was the very first female senator and she also was the first woman with a political position in Canada. Although her term was quite short, she used it to its full potential. By the middle of the 1940s,

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