Work conditions in the Canadian factories were horrendous, to be brutally honest. We Canadian women worked like dogs to get difficult and demanding tasks done and were given minimal pay. Everyday, I would return from work exhausted, filthy, blistered and cut up. However, I was needed in
I worked nine long hours of excruciatingly tiring labour each day in the dirtiest conditions imaginable, and was paid very little to boot. I was responsible for manufacturing gun and ammunition parts that would be used by the Canadian and British forces in the war, and let me tell you, it was no walk in the park! My body ached, my fingers were tired and broken apart from working on the intricacies of the ammo and my entire body was infested with filth and dirt. My fellow women and I had never worn pants before the factory job came about, but now, we were dressed in head-to-toe coveralls and used rags to keep our hair tied up! I always forced myself to be content and kept the vision of victory in my mind, as an incentive to keep working. Occasionally, music would even be played to keep the women happy. The way I saw it, I was making money to support myself as a single young woman and was providing necessary supplies for the military.
By the end of the war, I was even starting to gain the respect and trust of my male counterparts. I had built up enough muscle to be seen as not only competent in their eyes, but trustworthy! Unfortunately, this all changed at the end of the war when the soldiers returned and claimed their jobs back. We were sent back home, as they had told us we would be, and were expected to go back to lives of ‘femininity’ and taking care of the home. I may have left the factory, but I received emotional and physical scars that would last for years. The condition of my hands was a constant reminder of the unbearable labour I was subject to, and I would never forget what it was like to work in the factories. No unemployed housewife could possibly have had so many cuts, so much muscle definition or so much work experience that I picked up by working in the factory.
What were the work conditions like for you? Did you come home with any scars, either mental or physical? Did you ever feel that you were treated unfairly as a woman at war and did you do anything to prove yourself?
I have to admit that work conditions weren't the greatest but what can you expect from fighting in war? I feel a lot stronger physically than I was in the beginning, now that I am able to do things I couldn't imagine myself doing in the past. Of course in a society where men were seen as the dominant gender, I did feel as if I needed to prove myself when I was serving in Newfoundland. Despite the fact that we were doing the exact same jobs as the men we were replacing, we were only paid two-thirds of their pay. I felt a great sense of pride when the men I was working for applauded me for my valiant effort in battle. To me, that was the best reward I could receive.
ReplyDeleteI never had to work in factories and after seeing your description of it, I never want to work there! As a nurse, the amount of scars and pain you receive is not much different! Each day I would have to assist doctors in performing surgeries and sometimes when the doctors trusted the nurses enough or we have acquired enough knowledge and experience, we could perform surgeries by ourselves. People were not that prejudice against female nurses because they were all female anyways… but some women including myself really felt that we had the qualities to become future doctors. Sadly, all those positions were given to men! Working conditions in the hospitals were filthy and dangerous. I encountered moments before where the hospital was full and there was just not enough time to grab supplies; I would have to hold onto a man’s wound with my own bare hands in order to stop it from bleeding! Other times, I would receive accidental cuts from surgery knives and just holding one all day would give me blisters! I agree with you that no unemployed housewife would have as many cuts as us! Also the emotional pain that we would receive from seeing thousands of soldiers pass away right in front of our eyes cannot be compared. Being a man is hard but being a woman is even harder!
ReplyDeleteI worked in the garage a lot during the war. It was dirty work - oil stains everywhere, clothes would be covered with sweat and grease...Still, I enjoyed every minute of my work. It was amazing, finally being able to do things I had only dreamed of doing while I was growing up as a little girl. And finally being allowed to wear pants and overalls instead of dresses! S. Rossi - you're right, it WAS a breakthrough. A breakthrough for women's rights everywhere, even though it was due to such a terrible event: the war.
ReplyDeleteYet, despite all this, I was treated unfairly. Not just by those who I worked with (my male counterparts) but also by those who I helped. There was prejudice and sexism towards us females and what we were doing. Thankfully, it wasn't everywhere, and when it was I tried to ignore it, although I can't say I wasn't offended when an old man I was trying to help called me a prostitute! Honestly!
You're right, Sister Prudence, being a woman is even harder than being a man!
Doing hard labour is a horrible way to work, but I guess one can't bother about these things during times of war. One thing is certain though after reading this, I do not believe I would have liked working in a factory...
ReplyDeleteHowever, I don't think that the experience was all too bad for us women. Let this be an example to society - women aren't as weak as they'd like to think we are!
I understand how you feel about having to wear different things. Many times, when adopting a new identity, I was forced to change hair styles, wardrobes and even my shoes, even if it didn't suit my taste...
Most did not know I was helping out the war effort in any way, so I did not have to deal with any special, unfair treatment that way. Between me and my partner(s), all we really had for each other was the respect for the other's skill. Although sometimes the situation called for such treatment, we really had no time to treat each other unfairly when either of us could die in the next second.
I'll agree with that also! Men can't even begin to comprehend how it is for us. It explains why they constantly complain about only THEIR lives being hard. They think we have it so easy because the just don't know.
I have never worked in a factory, which I am grateful for because from how you describe it, factory conditions seem awful! The conditions in my RCAF women’s division base were not much better. Living conditions were very unsanitary, such as limited amounts of showers and the water was not always the cleanest. Flying aircrafts were not always the stable and some were potentially dangerous. Once enlisting, I should have expected that the work conditions wouldn’t have been the greatest. I guess all these conditions helped me become stronger mentally, physically and emotionally. Once I got used to the living conditions and accepted the reality, and started to enjoy the process of becoming part of the Royal Canadian Air Force.
ReplyDeleteI worked long hours in a munitions factory and I got paid very little and I hated having to work 10 hours a day just to get enough money to support myself while my husband was off fighting but it got better when the pay increased. the thing that I remember greatly was having to carry a gas mask around all of the time and the fear off a bomb attack on the factory.
ReplyDeleteI worked in a munitions factory during the war
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