Women After World War I: Women In Canada

World War I had tremendous effects on various people in Canada. However, women are not one of them. Women were not given the same opportunities as men, they did not get the same benefits as men, and they were not treated with the same respect. First off, women were not given the same opportunities as men during and after the war. For instance, due to the war, there was a shortage of workers, especially in agriculture. Farmers were desperate for workers, which is why they agreed to the government's plan of using “city girls” to gather fruits and vegetables (Freeman-Shaw 19). Additionally, the largest employer of women was domestic service, but the war introduced the munitions industry, meaning women had to fill the job in the industry (Freeman-Shaw
In addition, some women were fired after the war because their jobs were seen as “untraditional,” while men were not fired for doing the same jobs. Moreover, women were simply used for the war effort and were disregarded after it ended. Furthermore, the benefits women were given were not fair compared to their male counterparts. For instance, when women took over the jobs men left, women munitions workers were only earning 50 - 83% of what their male coworkers were earning (Freeman-Shaw 19). Additionally, a significant number of black women did not work in industrial labour until long after World War I (Freeman-Shaw 19). In fact, approximately 80% of black women worked in the domestic service (Freeman-Shaw 19). Later on, when they did start working in the industrial industry, they were paid significantly less than men and white women (Freeman-Shaw 19). Therefore, women are not being paid the same amount as men for doing the same exact job. In addition, minority groups were further discriminated against and did not receive the same