Effect of Both World Wars on Canadian Women

Women in World War Two did a lot of volunteer work. They rationed items, planted victory gardens, sewed and bartered clothing for the troops, and created a recycling program in order to meet the needs of the civilians, as well as, the military. The women rationed almost everything, from tea and coffee to gasoline. They planted victory gardens, which were large gardens of vegetables, fruits and herbs on private and public pieces of land. The women also organized a sort of barter system in which they would trade clothing and shoes when they no longer fit, for other clothing or shoes with other families, in order to avoid unnecessary spending. They created recycling programs in which they would use recyclable items to make war supplies. They collected items such as, paper, glass, rubber, and bones. The bones were used to make glue, and old fabric to make new clothing. As you can see, the women of World War Two were very organized, money-efficient, and created several systems and organizations to facilitate their tasks during the war.