Canadian Women's Contribution in World War 1

Wake up, cook, feed children, clean the house, teach children, wash the clothes, sleep. It is a typical day for women in Canada while their husbands were at work making money to support their families(“Striking Women.”). People thought women are men’s accessories and women had very few power in their families and in society at that time. But these things all changed when World War 1 started. When Canadian men went outside to fight, Canadian women did a lot to support the war. Canadian women had a very great contribution at home and overseas in World War 1. They played a big role in Canada’s victory in this war that no one can imagine.

Thousands of men left their civilian jobs to fight for their country during World War 1. Because these jobs needed to be filled in and women needed to make money to support their families, many women started to work in factories as men during the war time. There were more than 30,000 women gained employment in machine shops, metal factories, and shipyards(“Slideshare.”). Because of these women labor force, many industries didn’t close down. They support the economy in Canada during the war time so that government has money to pay for the cost of the war. New jobs were also created as part of the war effort, for example in munitions factories. The high demand for weapons resulted in the munitions factories becoming the largest single employer of women during 1918.( “Striking Women.”). Women worked in munitions factories making guns, bullets, bombs, uniforms, ships, tanks and planes(“Slideshare.”). These women who worked there were known as ‘canaries’ because they had to handle the chemical compound trinitrotoluene that is used as an explosive agent in munitions which caused their skin to turn yellow, these women risked their lives working with poisonous substances without adequate protective clothing or the required safety measures. Around 400 women died from overexposure to TNT during WWI.( “Striking Women.”). These women used their lives and health to produce the military weapons and equipment for the soldiers overseas to support the war. For the women who could not work in factories or other jobs, they also did a lot to support the war. They spent much of their time knitting heavy scarves, balaclavas and socks and making pillows, sheets and flannels to be sent to the soldiers who were fighting overseas(“Slideshare.”).

Canadian women had a big contribution to agriculture during the war time. Many farm women were faced with the reality that they had to maintain the family farm themselves to make money. Because of the war, the federal government decided that more production of foods is necessary in order to help assist the men at war(Schoolworkhelper Editorial Team). Thousands of women joined The Farm Service Corps to do the farm work and replace the labor of men, so that they can provide the food for themselves and the Canadian soldiers overseas. For example, in 1918, 2,400 women picked fruit in the Niagara region. These women use their hard work and sweat to provide food for the soldiers overseas in order to support the World War 1(“Canada and the First World War.”).

There were many women’s organizations during the wartime that did a lot and had a great contribution to the war. An example would be The Women's Institutes. The WIS used their agricultural connections to cooperate with