WOMEN IN WWINew Roles and Rights

WOMEN’S WORK Before the war, women

were expected to stay at home

Women who did work were usually single and could only get jobs as teachers, nurses or secretaries

Also, women’s fashion was very constricting

Women were expected to wear long dresses at all times, covering up arms, ankles and neckline

WOMEN DURING THE WAR With thousands of young

men leaving to fight in the war and the huge demand for food and war material, women were asked to join the work force

For the first time, women took on jobs like bus driving, factory work, and farm laborer

Factory production and efficiency went up with female workers

In addition, thousands of women went overseas as Nursing sisters

WOMEN ON THE HOME FRONT Women were expected to sacrifice for the war effort Women rationed food (especially meat), made

vegetable gardens and sewed their own clothes Also, women knitted socks for men in the trenches The white feather campaign was a tactic used by

women to shame men into enlisting

WOMEN AND PROHIBITION Canada was a hard drinking

country Many men would waste their

money at bars and saloons Also, the rate of domestic

violence was very high Women’s group had been

pushing for laws against alcohol for years

During the war, the need for public safety and increased food production caused many in government to listen to women’s concerns about alcohol

By 1918, production, distribution and consumption of alcohol was illegal

THE SUFFRAGETTE MOVEMENT Given the great

sacrifices women were making and the new found confidence women were experiencing, many women pushed for the right to vote

The movement was so strong the Canadian Government allowed women to vote in the 1917 election

KEY POINTS Women had few rights in Canada before

WWI During WWI, women took on new jobs,

wore new clothing and discovered new confidence

Women were most responsible for passing prohibition (no alcohol)

Women gained the right to vote in 1917