Women In History

Throughout history women roles had changed especially when the first world war broke out. From 1914- 1918 the first female officers had served with the Canadian Army Medical corps. If we skip to 1941 the women’s divisions were established in the army corps and the Royal Canadian Navy. In 1977 the Canadian Human Rights Act was created. In 1981 women’s rights were preserved in the Charter of rights and Freedoms.

Women rights were now beginning to change in the 1980s, but like that they could also go to school to become a teacher, a nurse, a doctor, or even to work for the government. After the first world war women were so used to working in the field that the men had to learn to work with women. They could also go to school to learn how to be an astronaut. In 1993 the first woman was sent to space and her name was Kim Campbell.

Women were also sometimes helping on the front lines during World War 1. Most of the women served on the stateside of the naval bases replacing the men who were deported to Europe. Some of the women worked as truck drivers, mechanics, radio operators, telephone operators, translators, camouflage artists, munition workers while others had done clerical duties around the naval bases. Another factor is that the number of women in the workforce had increased because of the men going to serve in Europe to help stop the great war. During World War 1 women working had strengthened the suffrage for the women.

After World War 1 ended women still wanted to work in the workforce, they did not want to just stay home to just clean take care of the kids and make dinner anymore. Also, after the first war ended the aftermath had witnessed women gaining voting rights in many nations for the first time. But the full participation in political life for women was still limited. Some states did not free their female residents until much later. In France it was not until 1944 when they had freed their female residents. Women who stayed in the workforce after World War 1 ended has usually been given a lower rank than men in their workforce.

On September 1, 1939, World War 2 had broken out and the men had to go serve in Europe. During the second world war women had to work in factories to make munitions, they had to build ships, aeroplanes, had to work in the auxiliary services as air raid wardens, fire officers, evacuation officers, and as drivers of fire engines. They also had to drive trains, trams, they had to be conductors, and they were nurses. More than six million women had taken over wartime jobs in the factories, three million had volunteered with the red cross.

After World War 2 the birth rate was increasing dramatically because women could have children now that their husbands were back from the war. Even still after the second world war women were still getting downgraded on their pay or where they were working. The women had enjoyed and even thrived on the taste of financial and personal freedom. But still many of the women wanted way more than just personal freedom and financial rights. In many nations the women were getting voting rights.

Families that are around the world look, feel, and live differently than some families in Canada. Families either can be make or break for women and girls when it comes to achieving their rights. They can be places like care, love, and fulfillment but too, they can be places where the women and girl rights are too often violated. The policies and laws in today's world need to be based on the reality of how families live. Women are the most important caretakers of children and elders of every country around the world.