Department of History | World War I, Episode 3 | Women at War

Summary

During World War I, Canadian and American women played pivotal roles in the war effort, both domestically and abroad. They organized and participated in various activities, including victory gardens, knitting, sewing, canning, and volunteering as farmerettes. Women also collected Sphagnum Moss for medical dressings and raised funds for the Red Cross. Over 3,000 Canadian women trained in first aid, with many serving overseas, while nurses filled administrative roles and were granted officer status. The war led to advancements in public education, health, and living standards, benefiting women significantly. However, it also fractured the women's movement, with some embracing the war effort and others opposing it.

Takeaways

• 🌐 Canadian women were not expected to serve in combat during WWI but played a crucial role in the domestic war-time economy.
• 👥 Women in both Canada and the United States were involved in various aspects of war work, including victory gardens and conservation efforts.
• 🍎 The 'food will win the war' campaign saw women producing supplies such as canned fruit to send overseas.
• 🧶 Women contributed to the war effort through knitting, sewing, and volunteering as farmerettes to replace men in agricultural work.
• 💰 Canadian women raised significant funds for the war, with the IODE collecting 1.5 million dollars for the Red Cross and other agencies.
• 🌿 Sphagnum Moss was collected by women volunteers for use in medical dressings, highlighting the importance of natural resources in wartime.
• 🩺 The scale of first aid and medical attention needed during the war was unanticipated, leading to increased recognition of women's contributions.
• 🏥 Over 3,000 Canadian women trained as voluntary aid detachments, with about 1,700 serving overseas, including in administrative roles in hospitals.
• 🌍 Canadian nurses served globally, dealing with challenges such as poor sanitation and dysentery, and some were decorated for their service.
• 🎖 Canadian nurses were given officer status, a unique recognition not offered by American or British services.
• 📚 The war incentivized improvements in public education, health, and living standards, benefiting women and leading to social welfare measures like the Sheppard-Towner Act.
• 💔 The war fractured the women's movement, with some feminists and pacifists frustrated by the support for war among women's rights activists.

Q & A

What was the initial expectation of Canadian women's role during the outbreak of war in 1914?

There was no expectation that Canadian women would serve in any active combat role in the military, but it was anticipated that they would play a key role in the domestic war-time economy.

How were Canadian women prepared to contribute to the war effort before 1914?

Canadian women were well poised to contribute because they had been forming various local, national, and international organizations for about twenty years prior to the war, which were ready to take action during the war.

What was the significance of women's organizations in the United States during the war?

Women in the United States became very involved in various aspects of war work, including victory gardens, conserving materials, and producing supplies such as knitted items, sewn goods, and canned fruit to be sent overseas.

How did women contribute to the agricultural sector during the war?

Women volunteered to be farmerettes to help with the harvest, replacing the many men who had left agricultural regions to enlist in the military.

What fundraising efforts did Canadian women undertake during World War I?

In 1917, the IODE (Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire) collected 1.5 million dollars to send to the Red Cross and other agencies providing supplies for Canadian troops.

What was the role of Sphagnum Moss in the war and how was it collected?

Sphagnum Moss was a natural product wanted by the Red Cross for dressings. It was collected, dried, packaged, and sent overseas by volunteer labor, mostly women, who produced 20 million units by the end of the war.

How did the war impact the recognition of women's contributions to society?

The war provided opportunities for women to take advantage of their roles and get the government to recognize their contributions, such as through the training of 3,000 Canadian women as voluntary aid detachments and their service overseas.

What was the status of Canadian Nurses during the war and how did it differ from other countries?

Canadian Nurses were given officer status, which meant they were technically in command of the male soldiers they oversaw. This was unique as neither the American nor the British services offered that status to their nurses.

How did the war influence the improvement of public education, health, and living standards?

The war provided states with a powerful incentive to improve public education, health, and living standards, and women, on average, benefited significantly from these improvements, partly due to the strong women's movement prior to the war.

What was the impact of the war on the women's movement and their views on health and beauty standards?

The war fractured the women's movement, with some suffragettes siding with the war and others remaining pacifists. However, the war also led to increased participation in health campaigns, such as the Children's Year initiative, which contributed to the passage of the Sheppard-Towner Act in 1921.

How did the war affect the unity and perspectives within the feminist community?

The war caused divisions within the feminist community, as some like Nellie McClung were frustrated by the enthusiasm for the war shown by others, while figures like Cora Hind were staunch supporters of the war effort.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Women's War Efforts and Contributions

In the early 20th century, Canadian and American women were not expected to serve in combat roles during World War I, but they played crucial roles in the domestic war economy. Canadian women, who had been forming organizations for about twenty years prior to the war, were well-prepared to contribute. They engaged in various activities such as victory gardens, conserving materials, and producing supplies like canned fruit. They also volunteered as farmerettes to replace men in agricultural work. Canadian women raised significant funds for the Red Cross and other agencies, collected Sphagnum Moss for medical dressings, and trained as voluntary aid detachments. About 1,700 of these women served overseas, and Canadian nurses served in various theaters of war, managing hospitals and dealing with sanitation issues. They were also granted officer status, a unique privilege not offered by the American or British services. This period also saw an increase in public education and health improvements, with campaigns like the Children's Year in the U.S., which led to the Sheppard-Towner Act of 1921, providing healthcare for women and children.

05:03

🔍 The Impact of War on the Women's Movement

The First World War had a profound impact on the women's movement, both in terms of opportunities and divisions. While some women, like Nellie McClung, felt conflicted about the war, others, such as Cora Hind, were staunch supporters of the war effort. The war led to a fracture within the women's movement, with pacifists and those who supported the war having differing views. Despite this, the war also provided a platform for women to push for their rights and recognition. The war years saw a mobilization of women in health campaigns, which eventually led to significant social welfare measures like the Sheppard-Towner Act. However, the war also brought about a standardization of health and beauty norms, which some feminists found frustrating. The narrative of the war and its aftermath shows a complex interplay between the women's movement, national identity, and the broader societal changes of the time.

Keywords

💡Active Combat Role

The term 'Active Combat Role' refers to direct participation in military engagements or warfare. In the context of the video, it highlights the initial societal expectations that Canadian women would not be directly involved in fighting during World War I, but rather contribute to the war effort in other ways.

💡Domestic War-time Economy

This concept refers to the economic activities within a country that are focused on supporting the war effort. In the video, it is mentioned that women were expected to play a key role in this area, emphasizing their involvement in the home front activities that supported the war, such as producing supplies and fundraising.

💡Women's Organizations

Women's Organizations are groups formed by women to advocate for their interests and rights. The script discusses how these organizations, which had been established prior to the war, were well-positioned to mobilize and contribute significantly to the war effort, showcasing the collective power of women during this period.

💡Victory Gardens

Victory Gardens were vegetable gardens planted at private residences to reduce the pressure on the food supply chain during the war. The script mentions that women in the United States were involved in this initiative, which was part of the broader effort to conserve resources and support the war.

💡Farmerettes

The term 'Farmerettes' was used to describe women who took on agricultural work traditionally done by men who had gone to war. In the video, it is noted that women volunteered for these roles to ensure the continuity of food production in the absence of male labor.

💡Sphagnum Moss

Sphagnum Moss is a type of moss used for medical purposes, such as dressings. The script explains that Canadian women were responsible for collecting this moss for the Red Cross, illustrating the diverse and essential contributions women made to the war effort through volunteer labor.

💡Voluntary Aid Detachments

Voluntary Aid Detachments were groups of women trained in first aid and other medical skills to assist during the war. The video mentions that 3,000 Canadian women trained in this capacity, with about 1,700 serving overseas, demonstrating the expansion of women's roles into areas traditionally dominated by men.

💡Canadian Nurses

Canadian Nurses refers to the female medical professionals who served in various capacities during the war, including in hospitals and on the front lines. The script details their administrative roles, the challenges they faced, and the recognition they received, including officer status, which was unique to Canada among the allies.

💡Feminist Pacifists

Feminist Pacifists are individuals who advocate for women's rights and also oppose war and violence. The video discusses the division within the women's movement due to differing views on the war, with some feminists supporting the war effort and others, like feminist pacifists, expressing frustration and opposition.

💡Sheppard-Towner Act

The Sheppard-Towner Act was the first federal social welfare legislation in the United States, providing healthcare for women and children. The script mentions this act as a result of the activities of the Children's Bureau during the war, indicating the positive social changes that emerged from the war years.

💡Maternal and Infant Mortality

Maternal and Infant Mortality refer to the rates at which mothers and infants die, respectively. The video script discusses how high rates of these mortalities were a concern during the war, leading to efforts by organizations like the Children's Bureau to improve healthcare and living standards.

Highlights

Canadian women played a key role in the domestic war-time economy during World War I.

Women's organizations in Canada were well poised to take action during the war due to their pre-existing networks.

In the US, women contributed to the war effort through victory gardens, conserving materials, and producing supplies.

The slogan 'food will win the war' was used to encourage women's involvement in wartime food production.

Canadian women raised money for the war effort, with the IODE collecting 1.5 million dollars in 1917.

Sphagnum Moss was collected by volunteer labor, mostly women, for use in medical dressings during the war.

The scale of first aid and medical attention needed during the war was unanticipated.

3,000 Canadian women trained as voluntary aid detachments, with 1,700 serving overseas.

Canadian Nurses served in various locations and took on administrative roles in military hospitals.

Canadian Nurses were given officer status, a unique recognition not offered by American or British services.

Over 30 nurses were killed during the war, including 14 Canadian nurses on the Llandovery Castle ship.

The war incentivized states to improve public education, health, and living standards.

Women's movement prior to the war took advantage of the war years for further advancements.

Suffragettes who were peace activists prior to the war mostly sided with it, leading to a fractured movement.

The US Children's Bureau declared 1918 as Children's Year, mobilizing women for infant health campaigns.

The Sheppard-Towner Act of 1921 was the first federal social welfare measure for healthcare for women and children in the US.

Feminist pacifists were frustrated by the support for the war shown by many in the women's movement.

Nellie McClung's autobiography reflects the division and impact of the war on the women's movement.

Transcripts

PROFESSOR KATHRYN MCPHERSON When war broke out in 1914 there's no

expectation that Canadian women would serve in any active combat role

in the military, but it was expected that women would play a key role

in the domestic war-time economy and

interestingly, women were well poised to do this because for the

twenty years or so before the war broke out Canadian women had been forming all

sorts of organizations.

Some of them were very local

and others were much more national/international which were

poised to take action during the war

and they did. So this network of women's organizations leapt into action.

PROFESSOR MOLLY LADD-TAYLOR Women in the

United States as in Canada became very involved in a number of

aspects of war work. With their victory gardens in their backyard,

with the diet and with conserving materials and so

there was a big effort around "food will win the war".

They actually had to produce supplies

so women knit and they sewed and they canned

fruit to be sent overseas. They also volunteered to

be farmerettes to take off the harvest so to replace

the many, many men who had left the agricultural regions to enlist.

Canadian women also raised money.

In 1917, the IODE collected 1.5 million dollars to send

to the Red Cross and other agencies that were providing supplies for Canadian troops.

As the war progressed we were responsible for collecting something called Sphagnum Moss

which is a natural product that the Red Cross wanted for

dressings - 20 million by the end of the war.

And this was all produced by the volunteer labor - mostly women -

going out collecting and drying and packaging it and sending it overseas.

Nobody really anticipated when war broke out that the amount of first aid

supplies and medical attention that was going to be needed was

really unanticipated.

There were a number of ways that women were able to

take advantage of the war as a way to

get government to recognize women's contribution to society.

3,000 Canadian women

trained as voluntary aid detachments. They took Red Cross courses, Saint John's

Ambulance courses

and about 1,700 of those women

went overseas to serve. Canadian Nurses served in hospitals in Africa,

in the Middle East as well as in military hospitals at the Western Front

and they did a range of things so there certainly was a strong administrative

role the Canadian nurses had to fill. They had to get the hospital set up

manage the supplies, take care of paperwork of tracking

all these injured men that came through. They're also especially in the Eastern

theatre of war

was a problem with sanitation and

dysentery so there was a disturbing number of soldiers that died from

non-military battles. Some nurses were decorated who survived the war and then

nurses who were killed during the war were also decorated. Over 30

nurses were killed during the war including 14

Canadian nurses who died when the Llandovery Castle

ship was torpedoed. Another important element of Canadian Nurses'

experience in the war was that they were given officer status. They couldn't

carry guns but otherwise they had officer status

and that meant were technically in command

of the male soldiers that they oversaw.

They were understood to be in this elite corps of the Canadian

military. Neither the American nor the British

services offered that status to their nurses.

PROFESSOR JENNIFER STEPHENS War provides states with a very powerful incentive to improve public education,

to improve public health and to living standards.

Women, on average, really benefited in a lot of ways

from the First World War. This is partly because there had been a strong

women's movement prior to the war and they took

advantage of the war years. During the war,

most suffragettes who had been peace activists prior to the war,

the vast majority ended up siding with the war. Certainly the senior commanders were

increasingly concerned about the poor state of health, the malnutrition,

the rotting teeth, the

illiteracy... And the United States Children's Bureau

declared the second year of the war, 1918, to be Children's Year

and involved a massive mobilization campaign where women all over the country

ended up participating in infant health clinics.

So although

on the one side we can see this as a sort of standardization

imposing a certain notion of health and beauty

throughout the population, there's a lot of evidence that women

faced with high rates of infant and also maternal mortality were really seeking

this kind of health care

and the activities of the Children's Bureau during the First World War

led to the passage of the Sheppard-Towner

Act in 1921 which was the first federal social welfare measure

passed in the United States providing healthcare

for women and children. Feminist pacifists were frustrated

by the enthusiasm that many in the women's movement showed for the war.

The war fractured the women's movement in important ways.

In her 1945 autobiography Nellie McClung, who was one of Canada's

foremost

and most articulate and most often quoted in the press.

Feminists recalled "The Fall of 1914 blurs in my memory like a

troubled dream.

The war dominated everything. Some of my friends were pacifists and resented

Canada's participation in a war

of which we knew so little. Chief among the Empire's defenders among the women

was Miss Cora Hind.

Her views were clear-cut and definite.

We were British and must follow the tradition of our fathers.

She would have gone herself if women were accepted. Miss Hind saw only one side

of the question

and there were times when I envied her though I resented her denunciation of

those who thought otherwise.

The old crowd began to break up and our good times

were over."