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Canadian Women Essay

Decent Essays

Canadian women started their path in the military during the first Great War where they played a small but impactful role. They continued to push boundaries and were able to achieve successes such as the creation of the Canadian’s Women’s Corps by World War II. Even with the constant criticism they faced, the female soldiers continued to fight for military equality. Canadian women achieved small successes over time which lead to needed evolution.

The progression from nurses to soldiers began when the second World War broke out, with the pain of World War I still embedded into the minds and bodies of the men, Canadian women knew something had to be done. Kathryn J. Atwood, author of Women Heroes of WWII wrote,

The first steps …show more content…

(Newman, 227). The CWAC enlisted women to work in the air force, naval service, mechanics, photographers and wireless operators. (Veterans Affair Canada). The important place of women in all three British armed services helped fuel their insistence. Britain’s example should have convinced the men directing the Canadian war effort of the value of women’s military service, but old attitudes died hard. A 1943 public opinion survey revealed that only 7% of Canadians regarded joining the women's forces as the best way for women to serve Canada's war effort. (The Canadian Encyclopedia). Canadian society was concerned for the family unit if both spouses were off at war. The disapproval didn’t impair women in any way as their roles started to expand, by 1941 the Royal Canadian Air Force had created the Canadian Women’s Auxiliary Air Force division and by late 1943 the number of trades for women in the air force grew from eleven to fifty. With the Allied forces starting to regain control of European land from Nazi control, selected groups of the CWAC

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