Canadian Women's Contribution To World War Two

Agnes Macphail, a Canadian politician during the 1920s-1940s once said “I want for myself what I want for other women, absolute equality” ("Agnes Macphail Quotes"). For many years women have worked hard and proven that they can do things just like men. World War 2 was a great moment to prove it. Thousands of Canadian men had to leave and join the war. In the process, they gave up many things like their jobs. Several Canadian women stepped in and took over their duties. Canadian women had contributed to World War 2 extensively because they took over the jobs that men no longer occupied, participated heavily in the armed forces and provided extensive medical care to the men in the army,
One reason Canadian women contributed extensively to World …show more content…
Thousands of women were working in Canada but there were also women who worked in the Canadian army in a non-combat branch called the: Canadian Women’s Army Corps where they were given various tasks to do. For instance, women had helped cook and clean (clothes, dishes, etc.). Apart from that, they also worked in the technical, manufacturing and construction field. They would help in producing war goods like ammunition. With all these women joining the armed forces, it shows that they were ready to help Canada at any point and they could do any job a man could. Also, during World War 2 women were initially reluctant in joining the Canadian army because according to the Canadian Encyclopedia, they were “.....hearing stories of recruits being mocked by male soldiers as the [Canadian Women’s Army Corps] learned drill, gas training, calisthenics, and route marches for the first time. Some observers also questioned the morality of women who wanted to assume “men’s duties.” (Wood "Canadian Women's Army Corps"). They later changed their minds when the government had stated that they “Faced with a manpower shortage in war services and production.” (Wood "Canadian Women's Army Corps"). It was estimated by the Canadian Encyclopedia, “Of the roughly 50,000 women who enlisted, more than half served in the Canadian Army.” (Wood "Canadian Women's Army Corps"). This shows women were not only needed to help outside of the Canadian army but also be apart of it. Lastly, while apart of the war, women had played an important role in codebreaking. They worked in trainings schools around British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Ontario, including at Camp X, which was a, “A training school for covert agents and a radio communications center that operated close to Whitby, Ontario, during the Second World War.” (Chenier "Canadian Women and War"). The women helped crack