Anjana Sailesh October 10th, 2014 p. 2-1 Women in World War 1Women played a very big role in World War 1, even though they did not fight in the army as soldiers. When the war started and the men went off to war, women were expected to fill the shoes of those who had left. They were needed to work in the factories and on the farms, and take up the everyday jobs on top of their usual responsibilities. While these women may not have been on the front lines, with the exception of nurses who were serving on the home front or overseas, we can definitely say that without their contributions to the war effort, the outcome of World War 1 might have been quite different.One of the jobs that women took up during the war was that of a munitions worker. They worked in factories putting together the weapons and shells that were used by the British army. This was very dangerous because they were working with substances that were very poisonous, without the proper protective gear, or safety procedures. But Britain saw them as cheap labour, and thought of them as easily replaceable. Another organization that women joined was the Womens Land Army, which was a program that cheap female labour to farmers. The problem with this was that many farmers did not want to employ women on the farms, and most men resented the fact that women were doing their jobs. The men resented them and tried very hard to make the daily lives of the working women miserable.On the front lines, women also acted as nurses and ambulance drivers. They saw the horrors of war firsthand, doing some of the hardest and most exhausting jobs. These women tended to the wounded and dying day and night, trying all that they could to ease the pain of the soldiers. Many were volunteers but one of the most well known groups was the one put together by the Duchess of Sutherland. She and many other ladies organized transport for doctors and nurses to be sent to France and Belgium to set up hospitals and casualty clearing stations. They toiled for long hours, in some of the worst conditions, to help everyone who needed it.But even when the war finished, the problems seemed to keep coming. Women started to protest as they were fired from their jobs when the men came back. As soldiers returned everyone expected that women would go back to what they were-housewives. But the women did not want to give up the little power they had gained. They were finally getting paid, and wanted to be considered as equals.At the same time there was also the topic of whether or not women should be allowed to vote. Womens suffrage was a big issue at the time, and there was a lot of debate about it, because many men thought that women should not be given the right to vote because they were too emotional and would not be able to take the right decisions. But women like Nellie McClung, Dr. Emily Howard Stowe, and Mrs. M. J. Benedictsson, lead protests and rallies to raise awareness and speak out for suffrage. After a long battle, in 1918, Canadian Caucasian women were finally given the right to vote. This was a big step in history, and really helped to make the men and women of Canada a little more equal.While the war devastated many families, it did change the world for the better in some ways. After the war, women were allowed many new opportunities, and helped them be seen as equals to men. These new opportunities were proof that women were people who were intellectually capable of living and contributing to society. The contributions of women in the First World War were very important and played a huge role in revolutionizing the way the image of an ordinary woman.