Did the women in world war 2 have an effect on the victories

Women helped out as much as they could during the war, overcame many hardships when it came to raising their families, and made historical changes that led to the modernized image of women today. Women during World War II were on the home front helping out as much as they could. Many Canadian women never enlisted in the Armed Services, they felt they were needed at home to raise families, crops for food, and to fill the jobs that men had vacated in order to serve their country.

Being a young, single woman had its advantages. Job opportunities were everywhere. For married women, the task wasn’t quite so simple, especially if they had children. However, they learned to manage, they were determined to defend their country in whatever way they could and serve they did. Hundreds of Canadian women worked in machine shops, welding shops and manufacturing plants, making the equipment that was necessary to fight a war like bombs and weapons for the men and women in the Armed Services.

Not only were they expected to work in the jobs the men had left, they were expected to keep a neat, tidy house and raise children. Luxuries were few and far between. “ Women in overalls and a bandana on posters everywhere became a symbol of service to Canada. ” (Wilson 267) Teens girls were also contributing during the war; while the mothers were at work, teen girls took care of the children and maintained cleanliness around the house. With World War II came the dire need for employees in the workplace. Had women not step in, the economy would have collapsed.

In the end, at the time of the Second World War; females were on the home front doing anything they could to help the war effort and yet at the same time, they were managing to keep their womanly duties stable. These efforts eventually gave women more recognition and led to simple but important changes in the long run. Not only were Canadian women on the home front during World War II, they were also nurses. As soon as war broke through, hundreds of Canadian women volunteered to work overseas as nurses or ambulance drivers. There were field hospitals behind the front-line trenches.

Nurses in Canada were basically a team called the “ Nursing Sisters”. In World War I, the nurses only helped in one branch of the Canadian Army but in WWII they expanded their nursing services to all three branches; navy, army, and air force. In all, 3, 656 members of the army’s nursing service served in the war, more than two-thirds of whom went overseas. They served in hospitals in Canada, England, Europe, and in casualty clearing stations near the battlefields. The Nursing Service Branch of the Royal Canadian Naval Medical Services was established in the autumn of 1941.

By the end of the war, they had 343 nurses. In November 1940, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Nursing Service was authorized. Some were involved in air-sea rescue missions and flights to pick up sick and injured service people from bases in Canada. About 481 nurses served in the RCAF and one in seven was overseas. Nurses had to cope with shortage of water and catching the infections from soldiers. More than 36 nurses died because of infections caught from the soldiers and some died from fighting in the battlefield.

Nurses gained a lot of respect from the soldiers because they took care of them and acted like a mother towards them. In conclusion, ladies during the Second World War became nurses to help out soldiers behind the front lines. Nursing wasn’t the only thing women did in World War II; they also enrolled in the armed forces. “ In WWII, women became part of the armed forces for the first time. ” (Wilson 266) For the first time in Canadian history, the call goes out for women to enlist in women’s divisions of the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

The Canadian Women’s Army Corps (CWAC) was authorized on August 13, 1941. At first, the organization was called the Canadian Women’s Auxiliary Corps and was not an official part of the armed forces. On March 13, 1942 the women were inducted into the Canadian Army and became the CWAC. “ The women’s Canadian air force was called the Canadian Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (CWAAF). ” (Wilson 266) This air force was formed in July 1941 and allowed women to be part of the air force and fight for their country.

Also, the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service was not established until July 1942, much later than the Women’s Royal Naval Service in Britain (WRENS). Eventually, there were more than 6000 regular personnel and officers in the WRCNS. “ Women were not sent into front-line combat, but they did essential work behind the lines. ” (Wilson 266) By the end of the war, there were approximately 50, 000 Canadian women in the army, navy, and air force. In conclusion, women proved that they could serve just as well as men in the army, navy, and air force during the Second World War.