Women in the Canadian federal civil service during World War II

Henkenhaf, Heidi Jane (1994) Women in the Canadian federal civil service during World War II. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

This thesis examines the economic, social and political aspects of the lives of women working for the civil service in Ottawa during World War II. Economically, women found it necessary to travel across the country to pursue work in the civil service in Ottawa. These women acquired the skills the government was advertising it needed and applied for positions. They were willing to go wherever there were jobs even though the jobs they were offered were most often in the lowest civil service levels. Socially, most of these women were forced to leave familiar surroundings, family and friends to move to Ottawa. They were required to start a new life independent of their support systems and supervision. Politically, the women of the civil service became active in the employee associations of the time. Despite the temporary nature of civil service jobs for women, some became active in improving the lot of female civil servants. Many opportunities for women in the civil service during World War II were for the duration of the war and did not continue in post-war Canada but the skills, experiences and independence that these women acquired remained with them. This thesis relies heavily on oral histories. Other sources include government documents, government employee organization records, and relevant secondary literature.

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