Women's History Month: Celebrating progress and achievements in defence and beyond

October 7, 2024 - Defence Stories

October is Women’s History Month in Canada, a dedicated period when the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) celebrate the many achievements of women and their significant contributions throughout history. This month is a time to acknowledge women, our achievements, and all those who have worked tirelessly to advance women’s rights and promote gender equality.

This year’s theme is Women at Work: Economic Growth Past, Present, and Future. As the Defence Co-Champions for Women, we take great pride in celebrating the important contributions that women of the Defence Team have made and continue to make to the Defence community, Canada and the world.

The history of Canadian service women is an essential part of our national military heritage. Canadian women served for the first time as nurses in 1885. Since then, we have participated in virtually every armed conflict and peacekeeping effort Canada has engaged in over the past century. During the Second World War, more than 50,000 women joined Canada’s military in non-combat roles. At that time, women faced criticism when they volunteered to enlist. Today, women make up 16.5 percent of the CAF, which is higher than the average among NATO countries. We know that we have more work to do to make the CAF a desirable career choice for Canadian women, and efforts are ongoing, but it is important to also celebrate our progress.

More than ever, the CAF is committed to attracting and enrolling talented and motivated individuals to meet current and future needs. An important factor in recruiting talented women is our dedication to gender equality and positive culture change, which will increase overall operational effectiveness. Today, Canadian women can enrol in any military occupation, including operational trades, and can serve in any environment. There is no limit to career opportunities in the CAF for women and gender-diverse personnel. This makes it an exciting time to join.

It is thanks to the collective efforts, service and sacrifice of women who came before us that Canada is a world leader when it comes to women’s inclusion and participation in military service, public service and society as a whole. The full, equal and meaningful participation of women in all facets of society – including military service – is the foundation to a more peaceful world.

We are honoured to work with so many women, both military members and public servants, who continue to break down barriers by taking on important and challenging roles in national security, search and rescue, and natural disaster response. Who knows where the next generation of women in the Defence Team will lead us?

Throughout the month of October, please join us in paying tribute to these many achievements by using the hashtag #WomensHistoryMonth to share your stories and join the conversation. We also encourage you to learn more about the history of Canadian service women and women of impact in Canada.

October is also Menopause Awareness Month, and for that reason we remind you of our webpage with menopause resources (accessible only on the National Defence network) for CAF members and invite you to join us on October 18 at Carling Campus for World Menopause Day. Looking ahead, we commemorate International Day of the Girl Child on October 11, focusing attention on the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfilment of their human rights; while October 18 is also Persons Day, which marks the historic 1929 ruling from Canada’s highest court of appeal to include women in the legal definition of persons. In this time of celebration, it is sobering to reflect on how far we have come in a relatively short period of time.

On October 29, there is a hybrid event on Women in STEM – Inspire, Empower, Build. Please join us in person at the Carling Campus Building 10 Cafeteria, or online, from 9:00-12:00 EST. For more information you can visit the SharePoint site: Women in STEM Coalition (sharepoint.com) (accessible only on the National Defence network) or contact: p-otg.womeninstem@intern.mil.ca.

We applaud all women on our Defence Team and offer a sincere thank you for all you do in driving the innovation and progress that has benefited the CAF and our country as a whole. Together, we represent the vision and determination of all those who served and continue to serve Canada.

Together we can be extremely proud.