Canadian Women In The Twentieth Century Essay

In the early twentieth century, Canadian women began to be more than just a wife and a mother. A woman had always done what was told, dressed and acted appropriately (Sungrab par. 5). A woman was never equal to man; legally nor socially (Sungrab par, 5). It was a new era for women in Canada. In the twentieth century, Canadian women gained the right to work, vote and to be seen as a person under the law. In 1914, the world went to war. Men went to fight for their country, leaving everything behind. The war effort needed everyone’s help. Women became important, (as?) they were needed to take on the jobs that were left by the men who were off at war (Sungrab par. 6). When the war ended it was expected that men would return to their jobs and

6). In Manitoba 1912, campaigns birthed the Political Equality League. The League staged a mock reverse-role Parliament in 1914, where women played the roles of politicians, debating whether or not men should get to vote, which gained national attention (Jackel par. 5). Furthermore, on January 28 1916, Manitoba women became the first in Canada to win the right to vote because of the Prairies’ history of helping build and settle the country (Jackel par. 6). Followed by Saskatchewan on March 14, Alberta on April 19, British Columbia on April 5 1917 and finally Ontario on April 12 (Jackel par. 6). However, in 1917, the Wartime Elections Act was established, allowing only women with men relatives in the military participate federal vote because suffragists campaigned for the right to vote on the basis of women's contribution to the war effort (Jackel par. 7). Therefore, women who were granted Canadian citizenship after 1902, lost their right to vote (Jackel par. 7). Despite this, in 1922, under certain requirements, such as being over the age of 21, women were eligible to vote in federal elections (Jackel Par. 8). In 1960, Indigenous women were allowed to vote in federal elections (Jackel par.