Canadian Women

The rights women have had over the past century have changed dramatically. Previous to the First World War, it was unheard of that women work out of the house, or even have any involvement in Canadian politics. Globally, some women are still trying to attain the goals Canadians have. The rights of Canadian women were enhanced by activists such as Nellie McClung and Emily Murphy, and the role of females in society were transformed permanently through the involvement of war and the workplace.

A famous activist from Canada known as Nellie McClung is nationally known for her actions as a feminist. Nellie believed that women should be equal to men, and deserve a right to vote in Canada’s federal election. McClung was part of the Political Equality

Once the First World War started in 1914, many men went off to fight leaving a shortage of workers in factories, shops, and manufacturing companies. Women helped fill the void by taking jobs as workers in various fields. Many women manufactured weapons and ammunitions to help with the war effort. Women who worked during the war were paid exceptionally less money than men who worked those same jobs. The lower pay was frustrating for suffragists, but not a huge concern of the government at the time. From 1914-1918 women were hardly present overseas, although the few that were helping across the ocean were nurses, or drivers of the nursing trucks. At the end of World War 1, women did not want to leave their jobs in the factories which slowly led to a popular trend; double income homes. The world went into the Great Depression and in 1939, World War 2 started opening more jobs for women. Women worked in factories like they had in the First World War, but the biggest change in women at work and at war, was women were now allowed to do more overseas. Technology had changed and women were now allowed to fly airplanes, and operate radar towers. Although women were allowed to do some jobs overseas, they were never allowed to fight in the front lines. On the home front women were still being paid less than men, but after World War 2 it became normal for both men and women to have a job outside of the home. By 1965 over 51% of women in Canada had a job outside of the home. The movement of women keeping their jobs after World War 1 and even more so after World War 2 impacted Canada and got the economy booming. Women in the job field is still an underlying issue in today’s society, but it is becoming more common for women to be employed in skill