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,
The government and the general populace realized how hard the woman had worked for the sake of Canada, and this earned woman the respect that they had longed for from the general populace and the government. Furthermore, this very sense of respect was proved when the government under Prime Minister Borden approved the War measures act on September 20, 1917(“Woman’s right to vote in Canada”). This very act was a prime gesture from the Canadian government that illustrated how winning the respect of the people resulted in the destruction of the misogynistic sentiments of that era. Furthermore, many historians regard the “War Times Act” as a gesture that was carried out in order to acknowledge the efforts that women had done in order to aid in the war(“Suffrage in Canada”). As said previously, woman raised funds for war, they volunteered as nurses overseas, worked endless hours in factories in order to build munitions, and provided countless other services for the benefit of the economy and the government. Moreover, they simultaneously kept their families together,”while men went overseas”(“Woman get the vote”), and kept war efforts moving through funds raised by various non-profit organizations run by women. The government witnessed this and rewarded the services of such woman by granting them the right to vote. Furthermore, the fact the government wanted to integrate women into the Canadian political system reveals that the long arduous toiling that woman had done for the nation was finally beginning to reap rewards for their own battle for gender equality.. Although, the right to vote was only bestowed upon those who were related to soldiers fighting overseas, it nonetheless
One of the most important roles that women played, were the increasing large amount of female soldiers fighting in the war. These roles gave women the right to work and serve in armed forces. The jobs that women took part in during this time period made a huge difference in the war, and in turn, WW2 helped expand women’s
World War 1 lasted from August in 1914 until November 1918. By the end of the War there had been over a million deaths and the role of women in England had changed in many different ways. This essay will be evaluating to what extent WW1 was a turning point for women, through evaluating a variety of contributing sources for their usefulness and reliability. Traditionally, WW1 has been viewed as a positive turning point for women. This is because before WW1 women had mainly been resigned to the role of a housewife and were considered to be inferior. Women that did work were mainly working class, and worked in domestic service jobs. However, between 1914 and 1918 an estimated 2 million women replaced men in employment, which led to the passing of the People 's Registration Act in 1918. Which finally gave women the right to vote, something the suffragettes and suffragists had been campaigning for before the war, creating the impression that WW1 was a positive turning point. However, revisionist historians have been challenging this viewpoint. They argue that although women replaced men in the workplace, following the men 's return after the end of the war, 60,000 women had no choice but to return to their former jobs. Which suggests WW1 was not a positive turning point as this was a quarter of the female workforce.
While men fought in the war, the women temporarily took over their job positions, but when the men returned home, the women had to return to the traditional role of being a mother and a housewife. Some women did not want to go back to the old ways, as they wanted an opportunity to work whatever position they'd like. However, under the words of the Constitution, women were to be excluded from society, as they were not considered as "persons". Eventually, though, with a fight, women got the right to vote and to work in some occupations, such as lawyers, judges, and doctors. Although they accomplished some achievements, they still weren't accepted into the Canadian society. Considerably, the 1920s for them was a
Women were also allowed to get educations and go into teaching and nursing positions. The Person’s Case was another highlight which demonstrates the advancements of women’s right in Canadian history. This case included five women who ultimately help transform the way women were seen. Emily Murphy played a significant role in establishing women’s rights which led to women being called “persons” in matters of rights and privileges. Furthermore, another female Canadian named Nellie McClung helped in getting the right to vote for women. Ultimately resulting in the May 24th, 1918 Act allowing all women 21 years of age or more in Canada the official right to vote even if they did not have the provincial license. The war brought many changes to Canada and around the world. Women were finally being recognized for their efforts and perseverance and acquiring new freedoms and improved rights for themselves. During the 1920’s, women became more involved in society and continued to participate in the work force. Women continued to make half the earning men were making at that time but by 1929 women made up about 20% of the workforce. The Women’s Labour League worked to defend women workers and the labour movement. They exposed shortfalls in the minimum wage laws and fought for equal pay, maternity care and a women right for birth control. Women were finally making their mark in government. By 1939,
Women during World War II became warriors. They overtook and played the men’s role in their household. Before their men went overseas, the norm was for them to get married at a young age. These women started volunteering in war-related organizations in order to support war efforts. When the men left to fight, their women became proficient at things they wouldn’t have dared to do before. The war made a lot of women stronger and opened lots of doors and opportunities. They would manage their finances, be excellent housekeepers, fix cars and do handyman work.
Between 1914 and today, Canada has changed for the better, as it becomes a more respectful country. There was a great change in women’s right shortly after WW1. Leaders such as the famous five fought for women’s right continuously. They achieved great success as women gained the right to vote and the right to serve in the Senate. Women were being respected as they were allowed to speak their mind and express their opinion, and were willing to participate in many other aspect of public life.
Canadian women were being urged to stay at home and support soldiers by manufacturing various goods, because of their fragile and emotional personas. Considering how many men had left Canada to fight in the war, women had to adapt and take on new roles. These new diverse roles crossed many social norms and encompassed a whole variety of industries.
After world war two majority of women were forced to leave their jobs and return back to the home. However the war set a foundation for women’s rights while feminism was slowly approaching its way into society. The hard work woman put into the war effort was about to be seen by society. Furthermore during the 1950s women were still viewed as full time mothers but the women’s movement would take place in later years.
In the past, WWII and WWI, women were very dominant; they had to take care of their children, do all the chores and also had to cook the food. During WWII, women had to take place for the men (First world war.com). The war changed the life for all Canadian women. When men went to fight, women were called upon to fill their jobs, and this included many jobs that were previously thought of unsuitable for women. Women were called up for war work from March 1941(Women during World War II). The roles of the women were positively impacted by World War II, because they had the potential to re-enter the workforce, control the farms and join the military for the first time. Taking control of the military was tough, but women had shown that they could work together and handle the situation.
In early years of Canada’s existence, women had very little rights to working and living in the same way that men did. Over the course of the 19th century, the slow process of gaining these rights began. The first large step in the 20th century for women was in 1916 when they were given the right to vote. Following this, in 1917 a law was created thats sets a minimum wage for women in Alberta, the first province in Canada to do this (http://ufcw.ca). Years after this, Agnes McPhail was the first woman to be elected to the house of commons, making her the first female MP. Finally, in 1929, women are recognized as ‘persons’ under the law, due to a group of five intelligent and strong women: Emily Murphy, Irene Parlby, Louise McKinney, Henrietta Edwards, and Nellie McClung (Aitken, 2000, 171). Nellie McClung had never been one to just accept the presence of gender roles, and she recalls when she was a child she would
WWI was a time of great change for Canadians. This time period was one of progress for many Canadian women. Although women were not allowed to enlist in the military during WWI, women did play a huge role during the war as nurses and ambulance drivers. As stated in the content section of Unit 2 activity 1, “images and news of nurses working hard at the front and sacrificing their lives helped to change notions of women as fragile, helpless creatures.” For many women this was their first time to work outside of the home, providing them “with many opportunities to prove their worth as citizens” (McClung). Another group that saw a period of progress during WWI was War Artists. As mentioned in the content section of activity 1 “The new medium of
The role of women in war has varied significantly throughout British History. During world War 1 womens role was constricted as many worked in the industry of textiles , knitting and munitions. This said they played a pivotal role in the war effort as 23.8 million in britain were all working. Voluntary and paid positions were taken up as unfamiliar roles to women, Nevertherless this was recquired in order to sustain the living of many families. World War 1 illustrated the capability of women in wokring across a variety of fields. However the effort from women was arguably taken out of context. Despite the rise in pay , women still earned less then men. They held the responisibility of working as a generation of men went to fight. This covered munitions, police patrols and even nursing.Women worked in horendous conditions and accidents were far too frequent in factories. A TNT plant killed 73 people and also leading to the destruction of nearby homes. Furthermore the collective effort was extraordinary , the workers of one factory in Gloucestershire within the four years filled over 17 million shells(BBC world war 1).Opportunities in civil service increased by 1,751 %.
It was uncertain to what extent did women’s participation in WWI changed the attitude and position of women in post-war Europe. One thing assured is that women’s wartime efforts were recognized in the years after WWI. In recognition of women’s support during the war, Canada, the United States, Britain, and a number of European countries extended suffrage to women. It seems that the turbulence and the despair of World War I had caused a re-examination of many of the treasured values in many western societies, including gender expectations.
The first way that the Women’s Movement significantly impacedt Canada’s history was economically, in WWI. This was the first time the role of women in society and their contributions to the economy