The World Wars and their Impact on Human Rights

The First World War, though it failed to make a lasting impact in women’s social status, created an opportunity for women to work outside of the household. After a large portion of Canada’s male workers left their jobs to serve in the military, the country’s employers began hiring women to fill the vacated positions. The female population took over the country’s menial jobs, mostly in factories and on farms. Women were treated as a means of cheap labor; they earned half the wages of men in their positions, and often had to give what money they received to their husbands or mothers. Women gained little respect from society throughout this war, however, their contribution to Canada’s success did gain them enough authority to secure a right that they had long been denied. Through suffragist campaigning, white women over 21 gained the right to vote on January 1, 1919 through the Act to Confer Electoral Franchise on Women. This ruling represented a great improvement in women’s rights, however it should be noted that women were not becoming equal in the eyes of society. Despite women’s significant contribution to Canada’s war effort, few believed that they were strong or intelligent enough to create a positive impact in their country.