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Before the depression, It was very rare to see women working because the "man of the house could handle it just fine". Moving on during the depression they needed all the money they could get which means the women started to work and help out with the income. This would later go on to influence the women working during ww2 and some to keep working after that. Overall I think Canada learned a lot over that span and it later went on to assist the women in getting jobs.
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When the stock market crash in 1929 would be the start of the great depression one of the worst economic downturns in history. Workers were laid off in mass amounts because of the bankruptcy of companies, and around 25% of Canadians were unemployed with 1 out of the 5 Canadians being on government relief. The government did many things to help people that needed to get through the depression-like relief camps and creating jobs. (Picture above is a letter to the primer during the depression)
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Over the years the government has implemented "circuit breakers" to limit the trading on the stock market at a certain point. The government is now managing Interest rates and employment rates to quickly solve issues that arise. The government will create incentive programs to keep the economy flowing. Looking back the economy was a lot more healthy and the stock market was a lot more stable in 1914-1929 This would go to improve the group in the long run.
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Farmers all over Canada suffered at the start of the great depression and the start of the dust bowl a dry period in the prairies. The great depression brought unemployment to 25% of Canadians when the stock market crashed and millions of investors lost money. The dust bowl was a period of dust storms and drought across the prairies which also caused a swarm of grasshoppers to come through and wiped out everything that the farmers grew. (Photo above shows dust storm coming in on a town).
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This was a huge set back compared to before the great depression and dust bowl(1914-1928) when the soil was rich and farming was at a high. one thing we learned from the dust bowl was that we over plowed our fields which left them more vulnerable to drying.
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During the great depression, more women entered the workforce but they were all paid very little and were only given jobs that classified as women's work. Although this was bad the number of employed women went up just because they needed two people working to support a family. (Primary source is women protesting during the great depression that they should get jobs if they are single)
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Farming in the times of WW2 was going very well. With many jobs opening for agriculture this was a very big success and change from what we were dealing with in the past. In 1929 during the great depression, the farming industry had a huge downfall after a huge drought hit the prairies causing dust storms making the ground very dry, and causing crickets to eat all the plants in their way. (The primary source is a picture from Canada's farms during the second world war).
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At the start of the second world war, Canada entered the war sending troops over to Britain and France to fight. Meanwhile, Canada would continue to assist in the war for six years opening many jobs for people back home to produce food, weapons, clothing, and more this would cause an influx in jobs. Around 3 million Canadians would go on to work in industries/factories, agriculture, communications, and food processing. (The picture above is an assembly line for war materials in Canada).
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During the war, there were many job opportunities that opened for the better. although it was not always like that in 1929 the great depression started to take its toll on jobs making the unemployment rate in Canada shoot up to 25%. Overall the change from the different times was drastic and really important for the workers. (Primary source is a woman working on machinery for the war)
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During the war, there were many important employment options but one of the most important was agriculture with around 3 million Canadians alone going into farming. The main reason for the demand was because of the soldiers on the front line needing food as well as the people at home this was also including making food not only for Canadians but British soldiers as well. This spiked the farming industries and also showed how well the land was for farming in Canada.
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At the start of world war two, Canada chose to join the battle and send men over to fight on the front lines in Europe. During that time the women had to take over working for a steady income and making goods for the soldiers on the front line. Over the time of ww2, the employment rate for women went up to 90% but this would not last for long. when the soldiers came home a lot of women were forced to give up their job for men. Although some did keep their job and kept working hard.
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Something like this did happen before during the great depression but the working conditions and income were horrible at the time compared to the men's income. During the time of the war, this made it possible for the women to show that they can work just as well as the men and started the movement to let women work just like the men. Overall I think that Canada would not be the same unless these events happened.
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Struthers, James. "The Great Depression in Canada". The Canadian Encyclopedia, 16 April 2020, Historica Canada. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/great-depression. Accessed 08 January 2021.
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Museum, C. (n.d.). Life on the Home Front: Women and the War on the Home Front. Retrieved January 10, 2021, from https://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/newspapers/canadawar/women_e.html
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Canadian War Museum Home page. (n.d.). Retrieved January 12, 2021, from https://www.warmuseum.ca/
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Rotondi, J. (2019, March 11). Underpaid, But Employed: How the Great Depression Affected Working Women. Retrieved January 12, 2021, from https://www.history.com/news/working-women-great-depression
