Women in the Workforce

Transitioning to a war economy changed the roles of civilians. Some new industries were created for the sole purpose of serving the war effort, and in other cases existing industries ramped up production to meet new wartime demands. In this blog series learn about how civilians, including men, women, and children, were put to work in new ways.

The Second World War brought huge changes to the roles of women in Canada. Thousands of Canadian women joined the military. Many more women joined the workforce and helped fill the spaces men left as they went to fight on the front lines. Ultimately, Canada needed women to help power the war effort from home. Women did work in these kinds of jobs during the First World War, but many more entered jobs outside the home during WWII.

When the Second World War began, around 570 000 women were employed in industry in Canada, mostly in clerical roles. However, as the war continued, more and more women took jobs in Canada’s industrial and manufacturing sectors, in positions traditionally held by men. Women took jobs in factories, making ammunition and parts for ships and airplanes, on airfields, in farms, and as drivers for buses, taxis, and streetcars. Women who worked in logging were nicknamed “lumberjills,” a play on the name lumberjack for their male counterparts. By taking on new positions working outside the home, women proved they could do the same work that men could do.

ALICE MINGE WORKS ON A VICKERS MACHINE GUN AT THE JOHN INGLIS CO. PLANT IN TORONTO. IMAGE FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS.

Women embraced expanded working lives while still maintaining their homes and sending what they could to those overseas. Women managed their households through difficult periods of rationing and still made time to organize fundraising and other campaigns to send money and goods, like care packages, to the troops. Women who lived on farms were also required to take on expanded positions in their homes as the war continued and male labour became less available. Many female family farmers were used to contributing to the family labour supply, but as husbands and sons were needed for the war effort, women took on more than their share of work on the farm for the duration of the war.

At the peak of wartime employment in 1943-1944, the number of women working doubled; there were over 1 000 000 women employed in the service, manufacturing, and construction sectors at this time. They received some supports at work, like onsite daycare centres, to make the transition to the workforce easier. When the war ended, these perks ended and women were encouraged to leave the workforce. Many women stopped their work outside the home, but many stayed working, particularly in the growing service industry. Even though many women only worked in these new jobs for a few years, they helped to reshape working life for all in Canada.