The Legacy of Wartime Women

As the first World war progressed, so did the involvement of women in all elements of society. Over 3000 women received training with Volunteer Aid Detachment, Red Cross, and St. John’s Ambulance, and served as nursing sisters in the war. Suffragist movements became stronger, challenging the societal acceptance of men as the superior sex and rallying the government to give women the rights they deserved. In 1917, their efforts were finally rewarded. Faced with a conscription crisis and desperate to get more men fighting overseas, the government of Robert Borden passed the Military Voters Act and War Times Election Act, allowing the mothers, sisters, and wives of soldiers in the war to vote. However, the climb to equality was only just beginning as there were still many people who did not share the views that women should have the same rights and opportunities as men. Furthermore, much of the progress women made during World War One would soon be lost as Canada plummeted into a post-war recession and as men returning from combat reclaimed the jobs they had left behind. Not only would the arrival of the second world war help the women of Canada to recover the ground they lost during this time of turmoil, but it would also fuel the immeasurable success they achieved in the years that followed.