Roles of
Women
During WWI
Roles of Women During WWI
• As a guilt tool
• In service
• On the home front
Sympathy
A Little Push
• This poster sends a
message to women,
urging them to give
their husbands and sons
permission to join the
war. For much of the war
it was against the law
for a married man to
enlist without the
permission of their
spouse. Many did refuse
to give their husbands
permission.
A Little Push
• In response these posters tried to
make women feel guilty for not
offering their men to the war.
This was common during WWI
because of the almost instant
respect and honour that a soldier
and his family gained by going off
to war.
• Women were often seen walking
through the streets trying to
encourage all able bodied men to
enlist. Many still saw war as a
glorious and heroic event.
Nursing
• Nursing is the most prominent role
that Canadian women played at the
front in Europe. Over 2000 women
enlisted as nursing sisters in the
Canadian Expeditionary Force during
WWI.
• The role of women at the front was
very limited because of army rules
and social constraints. Women started
an organization called ,"The Canadian
Women's Hospital Ship Fund". They
raised money by organizing concerts,
teas, parties, lectures, and bazaars.
Women also raised money for the Red
Cross, Belgian Relief, and Canadian
Patriotic Fund.
Other Services
• Canadian women also
worked as ambulance
drivers and staff officers.
• WWI did help suffragist
groups break some of
these social barriers. As a
result, on September 20,
1917 the vote was given to
women, whose husbands,
sons, and brothers had
served in the war.
Danger
• The dangers of working at the front
were not restricted to soldiers. WWI
Medical Services used hospital ships
to evacuate the sick and wounded
back to Canada.
• These ships were subject to enemy
attack. On the night of 27 June 1917
the Llandovery Castle, a merchant
vessel serving as a hospital ship, was
torpedoed while returning to
England. Of a Canadian crew and
medical staff totalling 258, only
twenty-four survived.
Factories/Farms
• Women went to work and
took over the occupations
previously considered “men’s
work.”
• In 1917 there were about
35 000 women in munitions
factories in Ontario and
Québec.
• Women also worked as farm
assistants.
• Paid less / Hostile working
conditions.
Conservation
It became the role of women to preserve food for
soldiers – as they were in greater need of hearty food.
Women were expected to make their own sacrifices.