Revolution is a process that occurs regardless of the situation or time period. Women's revolution was a movement that started during the most tragic moments of Canadian history. Although, the thought of war and destruction, is a thought most of us fear and would not like to be associated with, the Second World War was a period that changed the lives of many women around the world. Despite the horrific events the war planted seeds of change in women and opened new doors to them. Women before this period were almost invisible in society. During this period, women went from the flower on the wall type of perspective towards more important individuals of the society. Despite the great human cost of World War Two, it was a great opportunity for women to step out of the restrictions that prevented them from reaching their full potential and moving closer to achieving their equality with men.
One major impact that World War Two had on women was the new opportunities that were created for women due to the absence of men. As thousands of men from around the country shipped off to Europe and the Pacific in an effort to protect their country and allies, hundreds of women headed to the factories, offices and military bases to work in jobs that had been previously reserved for men only. It had been long assumed that jobs such as engineering, manufacturing and professions in the sciences were men's work and were things that women could or should not do.(3) With such a large number of men away at war a void was created and women took advantage of this. Women took jobs in factories working shoulder-to-shoulder with men making uniforms, weapons, ammunition, and helping build trucks, tanks, airplanes and other large engines. (4) When the war first began about 600,000 women in Canada held permanent jobs in the private sector, by mid 1943 1.2 million women had jobs. (1) Women rapidly gained a good reputation for their mechanical dexterity and fine precision due to their smaller physic.
