New Roles and Rights

 Before the war, women were expected to stay at home  Women who did work were usually single and could only get jobs as teachers, nurses or secretaries  Also, women’s fashion was very constricting  Women were expected to wear long dresses at all times, covering up arms, ankles and neckline

 With thousands of young men leaving to fight in the war and the huge demand for food and war material, women were asked to join the work force  For the first time, women took on jobs like bus driving, factory work, and farm laborer  Factory production and efficiency went up with female workers  In addition, thousands of women went overseas as Nursing sisters

 Women were expected to sacrifice for the war effort  Women rationed food (especially meat), made vegetable gardens and sewed their own clothes  Also, women knitted socks for men in the trenches  The white feather campaign was a tactic used by women to shame men into enlisting

 Canada was a hard drinking country  Many men would waste their money at bars and saloons  Also, the rate of domestic violence was very high  Women’s group had been pushing for laws against alcohol for years  During the war, the need for public safety and increased food production caused many in government to listen to women’s concerns about alcohol  By 1918, production, distribution and consumption of alcohol was illegal

 Given the great sacrifices women were making and the new found confidence women were experiencing, many women pushed for the right to vote  The movement was so strong the Canadian Government allowed women to vote in the 1917 election

 Women had few rights in Canada before WWI  During WWI, women took on new jobs, wore new clothing and discovered new confidence  Women were most responsible for passing prohibition (no alcohol)  Women gained the right to vote in 1917