Canadian Women after the First World War

Women were granted the right of suffrage at the closure of WWI, which was ultimately gained due to their contribution in the war effort and with its achievement came the right to influence the political stage and improve their lives accordingly. At the provincial level, suffrage had been achieved in most provinces by 1922 with the exception of Quebec. On the other hand, federally, the vote was attained in three stages: initially, only women who served in the armed forces or as nurses during WWI gained it through the Military Voters Act of 1917; subsequently, under the Wartime Elections Act voting privileges were extended to women whose fathers, husbands or sons served overseas; and ultimately in 1918 it was given to all women acknowledged as British citizens in Canada, over the age of 21. To achieve suffrage, women reformers argued the importance of “women’s virtues” in politics and condemned moral inconsistencies in the government. Nevertheless, the main argument in women’s favour was their “service, sacrifice and proven competence during WWI”, not only militarily but also as support of their families in the absence of men.