A War of Wavering Freedoms

“As middle-class ideals for women had previously been restricted to homemaking and mothering, WWII dramatically altered women’s socially accustomed roles and aided to appraise their employment rights even athwart the prevailing gender prejudices. From the strain of total war, the traditional attitudes towards the placement of women in society were forced to change as the increase in industrial production demanded the assistance of women in the workplace. By 1945, virtually one-third of all Canadian women engrossed themselves in employment for the war effort. Their efforts also expanded overseas, in which many participated in the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service as well as the Women’s Division of the Royal Canadian Air Force. However, gender equity had not entirely surmounted as women in the naval service were limited to shore-based jobs and licensed female pilots were not approved for combat participation. Sharply contrasting from the propaganda which encouraged women to leave the home and join employment for the war effort, women were ushered to leave the workplace after the war to create positions for breadwinning men. In spite of the fact that the contributions of women were limited and forcibly temporary, the shift in roles during wartime proved to raise the profile of women in society and participated in the attempt of fostering equity amongst all genders.”