Essay On Women's Contributions To The Homefront
Women’s Various Contributions on the Homefront
There was a shortage of populations and resources in Canada during the wartime. The Canadian War effort at home was fuelled by volunteers and wives and family members left behind; among which women of Canada had made great contributions and sacrifices on the homefront in various ways, through working, joining organizations and at home.
With so many men absent from home in the armed forces and with industries pushing for more production, the Canadian government actively urged women to work in the war effort. In 1942 Ottawa registered all women born between 1918 and 1922, those then ages 20 to 24, into the Selective Service to meet possible labour shortages.[ Canadian War Museum, “Women and the …show more content…
From a great many sources, women received the same urgent message: their co-operation and their participation were essential to the war effort.[ Jane Carmichael, “Back the Attack! Canadian Women During the Second World War,” Archivaria 23, no. 1 (November 23, 2006), accessed February 2, 2017, http://archivaria.ca/index.php/archivaria/article/view/11385/12326.] Propaganda was used to encourage them to join or return to the work force. As a result, during the Second World War, women were on positions which were designated specially for men, including working at constructions, munition factories, and service sectors. To begin with, women made up about 25% of the war industry workforce by mid-1944.[ Nick Brune, Defining Canada, McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 2003, 356.] A further 373,000 had jobs in manufacturing, and of these about 261,000 worked directly in the munitions industries, a large number doing tasks traditionally considered to belong to men.[ Ibid, 359.] Elaine Nelson from Parry Sound moved to Toronto to work in one such factory. She remembered the experience, “There was everybody, every single class... It was …show more content…
However, women were not treated fairly, often paid less for the same position previously held by men and often faced hostile working conditions.[ Nick Brune, Defining Canada, 458.] Furthermore, many of them got fired after the war ended in 1919, to open up employment for the returning soldiers. Yet they were once again needed after World War Two began.[ Ibid, 457.] Overall, many women of Canada contributed to the homefront by working in various sectors which were previously considered “men’s work”. In this way, the World Wars offered an unprecedented opportunity for women to prove their abilities, as well as chance for women to experience things new and exciting from
There was a shortage of populations and resources in Canada during the wartime. The Canadian War effort at home was fuelled by volunteers and wives and family members left behind; among which women of Canada had made great contributions and sacrifices on the homefront in various ways, through working, joining organizations and at home.
With so many men absent from home in the armed forces and with industries pushing for more production, the Canadian government actively urged women to work in the war effort. In 1942 Ottawa registered all women born between 1918 and 1922, those then ages 20 to 24, into the Selective Service to meet possible labour shortages.[ Canadian War Museum, “Women and the …show more content…
From a great many sources, women received the same urgent message: their co-operation and their participation were essential to the war effort.[ Jane Carmichael, “Back the Attack! Canadian Women During the Second World War,” Archivaria 23, no. 1 (November 23, 2006), accessed February 2, 2017, http://archivaria.ca/index.php/archivaria/article/view/11385/12326.] Propaganda was used to encourage them to join or return to the work force. As a result, during the Second World War, women were on positions which were designated specially for men, including working at constructions, munition factories, and service sectors. To begin with, women made up about 25% of the war industry workforce by mid-1944.[ Nick Brune, Defining Canada, McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 2003, 356.] A further 373,000 had jobs in manufacturing, and of these about 261,000 worked directly in the munitions industries, a large number doing tasks traditionally considered to belong to men.[ Ibid, 359.] Elaine Nelson from Parry Sound moved to Toronto to work in one such factory. She remembered the experience, “There was everybody, every single class... It was …show more content…
However, women were not treated fairly, often paid less for the same position previously held by men and often faced hostile working conditions.[ Nick Brune, Defining Canada, 458.] Furthermore, many of them got fired after the war ended in 1919, to open up employment for the returning soldiers. Yet they were once again needed after World War Two began.[ Ibid, 457.] Overall, many women of Canada contributed to the homefront by working in various sectors which were previously considered “men’s work”. In this way, the World Wars offered an unprecedented opportunity for women to prove their abilities, as well as chance for women to experience things new and exciting from