Winnipeg General Strike - Role of Women

Role of Women

The role of women during that time period played an influential part when dealing with the strike. As active citizens, various women were crowds joining the bystanders, sightseers and victims at major rallies and demonstrations. The division of women in the province included the strikers and women called "scabs" that were against the strike and tried every way to end it. Striking women would unplug the telephone operators and the scabs would plug them back in. It was especially hard for the women at home due to the low income and absence of goods and services to survive weekly as well as fully depending on their own salary instead of the job cuts for the men.

By 1919, women constituted roughly one-quarter of that labour force, mainly working in the service, clerical and retail parts of the economy. Around 500 women workers walked off after the first call of the strike, followed by hundreds more days later. A women's organization called the Young Women's Christian Association provided emergency accommodations to women who lived far away from their job. They accepted women strikers and non-strikers to get through the strike with ease. A major figure rose named Helen Armstrong who was head of the local branch of the women's labour league accompanying husband, George Armstrong who was one of the strike leaders. Helen was responsible for the women's kitchen maintained by the women's league to feed the striking women. Male strikers were allowed to come to the kitchen to eat but had to provide a good reason as well as sometimes even paying for their meal. Being arrested and put in jail, Helen made the media with names like "the wild women of the west" and " business manager for the women's union".

Among many other women who were sent to jail, Helen was granted a substantial bail of 1000 dollars. When newspapers and articles commented on the strike and the women involved, the Tribune referenced to many of the rioting women as having accents thus labelling them as foreigners whenever something was published. After the strike concluded many women came out for "ladies day" at Victoria park on June 12 and occupied seats of honour near the front cheering along with J.S Woodsworth promoting emancipation of women and the equality of the sexes. This event was a catalyst for the equality of women and soon after making women able to vote and to be equal to men.