Canadian Women In World War 2 Essay

The Canadian men who served in World War II are well known and respected for their efforts, something many Canadians today fondly remember and are proud of. However one must not forget that without women forming the backbone of Canada and other allied countries, the outcome of the war could have been drastically different. Simply put, they were just as crucial as men in the war. Canadian women in the second world war changed from their previous roles of being good wives and mothers to fighting in the Canadian Armed Forces. Even those who were not on the front lines, served in the industry by taking male jobs which in turn freed more men to go overseas. Lastly, women were doing unpaid volunteer work back home (Mothers of the Home Front During

WWII), as well as creating organizations to benefit Canada, it’s citizens and those in the war, all of which ensured a thriving economy for the war effort (Chenier, 2006). Without the hard work of Canadian women, Canada might not have been in the same situation during and post-war.

During World War II, the government had it’s priority on recruiting as many people as possible, whether male or female (The Impact of WWII on Women’s Work, n.d.).

Therefore, it’s no surprise that more than one million men and women served in the armed forces during the second world war (Stacey, 2013). While the majority of the armed forces were male, females were still placed in all 3 sections of the Canadian Armed Forces, with more than 6500 women in the Royal Canadian Navy (Stacey, 2013), approximately 17,000 women in the Royal Canadian Air Force and about 25,000 in the Canadian Army. (Stacey, 2013). Women’s divisions were created as early as 1941 as the government tried encouraging more women to join the Armed Forces enlisting women between the ages of 18 to 45 (The Canadian Women's Army Corp, 2014). The qualifications to enter were strict and women had to be put through vigorous training in camps at Vermilion, Alberta or Kitchener, Ontario (The Canadian Women's Army Corp, 2014). Women such as Juanita McKay and Vera Storey, who both trained in Vermilion remember enduring tough physical training, tear gas, driving jeeps, and reading maps (Kozicka, P., Clark, L., 2013). Although the conditions were difficult, they too pushed through it just like Canadian men.. Through the strenuous training, women became more independent, disciplined, and

cooperative.
While most males in the Army Corps were on the front line, women played crucial roles elsewhere. Originally assigned simpler tasks such as cooking, sewing, and laundry, later they demonstrated their capability in more important jobs including administrative/clerical tasks, health care, and communication occupations (The Canadian Women's Army Corp, 2014) (Chenier, 2006). Others became medical assistants, radar operators and took on previously male only professions such as drivers, mechanics, or radar operators; even parachute riggers, laboratory assistants and in the metal and electrical trades (The Canadian Women's Army Corp, 2014) (Chenier, 2006). Specific women from the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service and the Canadian Women’s Armed Corps, assisted in espionage and often did work involving spying and codebreaking (Chenier, 2006). Many of these women worked in Canadian provinces as well as Camp X, something that greatly aided in communications and subversion (Stafford, 2006). While these jobs all assisted the Allies one way or another during the war, the female nurses who served with the military truly made a difference. 4500 nurses were dispatched to various sections of the Armed Forces (The Nursing Sisters of Canada, 2014). The Nursing Service of the Royal Canadian Air Force was created during 1940 with women being sent to over a hundred different station hospitals (The Nursing Sisters of Canada, 2014). These brave women also travelled globally, going to Germany, Italy, Algeria, France, Belgium, and Hong Kong, where they followed the front and were often within range of guns and shells (The Nursing Sisters of Canada, 2014). Some were even captured and had to endure terrible conditions for years until the war’s end (The Nursing Sisters of Canada, 2014). Even after the war, nurses still remained on duty to care for thousands of injured veterans at the Department of Veterans Affairs’ hospitals. Without the spirit and assistance of all women involved, the outlook of the war might have been significantly different.

Not only did women play a significant role in the military but they greatly enabled Canada’s economy boom during that time. Their work in the industry provided the ammunitions, marine craft, aircraft, weaponry and much more for the men and women going over sea to fight. Canada’s Gross Domestic Product doubled during the war thanks to women. Women had already worked in factories in World War I, with 35,000 of them in munitions factories (Chenier, 2006). This number later rose to a staggering 261,000 in World War II, more than a 7 fold increase. (Chenier, 2006). Furthermore, the work of women accounted for 30 percent of the aircraft industry, 50 percent in gun plants, and more than 50 percent in ammunition inspection (Chenier, 2006). Most of the products manufactured were sent to Britain and other Allies for war. In fact, almost 40% of all vehicles built were created for Britain (WWII: Canadian War Industry, n.d.), clearly showing the Allies’ need for Canada during the course of the second world war. The majority of these women were inexperienced and had only taken upon these roles because of the dire situation at hand. Women were so deeply involved and committed to their position as more than 90% of all able-bodied single females aged 18-40 were engaged in some form of work towards the end of 1943 (The Impact of WWII on Women’s Work, n.d.). Throughout the war, the number of women who were being employed increased over time from 5.1 million in 1939 to 7.25 million in 1943 (The Impact of WWII on Women’s Work, n.d.).
Unfortunately women were paid far less by employers as they didn’t believe women were as capable.

They were proved wrong. Paid at about 53% for the same job compared to men (The Impact of WWII on Women’s Work, n.d.) and taken time away from their traditional roles, they still gave it their all in supporting the country. Through this process, they became catalysts and advocates for gender equality. They demonstrated a strong will and desire to work for equal pay. Both the government and women were working together to permit more women into the workforce. The government provided state funding, which allowed 1345 nurseries to be built during the war, a dramatic increase from only 14 in 1940 (The Impact of WWII on Women’s Work, n.d.). As a result, More women remained in the workforce after WWII. Therefore, not only did women greatly assist in the industries during the war, but they set the standards for future employment of women after the

war.

While the roles of women in the military and industry were crucial, others played different roles which still contributed towards the war effort. Women played many roles on Canadian home soil such as producing food, raising money for the war, and routinely volunteering. Since so many men were away, women had to take over and learn basic skills such as repairing cars and managing finances (Canadian Women During World War II, n.d.). They also became agricultural farmers (Canadian Women During World War II, n.d.) and learned how to drive tractors, pick fruit, raised garden, and produced poultry and eggs (Pierson, 2008). Furthermore, women were to left to run communities and raise money to support Canadians on the front line (Canadian Women During World War II, n.d.). Some communities such as the city of Mission exceeded their quota for their war services fund (Canadian Women During World War II, n.d.). Public organizations were put into action, such as the Federated Women’s Institutes of Canada, the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire, the Canadian Red Cross Society, and the Young Women's Christian Association (Pierson, 2008). These organizations were dedicated to informing citizens of events, initiating programs, bolstering Canada’s power and influence, increasing employment, giving more educational opportunities, and supporting those in the war (Chenier, 2006). These organizations were grouped under the Women’s Voluntary Services (WVS) in 1942 by the government so they could be better directed and coordinated (Pierson, 2008). In addition, The federal WVS created a Block Plan where house to house canvassing and collecting would take place to aid those in the community (Pierson, 2008). They also helped organize programs where they distributed ration cards, recruited and trained staff, promoted war bond sales, and advised others to create ditty bags for those overseas (Pierson, 2008). These small actions that took place stabilized Canada’s economy and kept not only those far away in good condition but also the local Canadian citizens.

As one might see, it wasn’t just men who served greatly for their country as women played many necessary roles too. Whether those roles be overseas near the front lines, in factories, or in community centres and organizations, it is clear that women were needed. Had there been no help from women during those times, the outcome of the war could have been much different. A famous motto at the time that many women followed was “we serve that men may fly, we serve that men may fight, we are the woman behind the men behind the guns” (Pierson, 2008). This motto truly represents women’s importance in World War II. The Canadian women of World War II fought, served, built, and changed history.