In the past, women were considered second-hand citizens, and before World War I, women had few or no rights. But since then women's rights have expanded greatly thanks to women like Nellie Mcclung who fought hard for women's rights and freedom. During both world wars, women proved that they could do the same work that men could do. Today, women have the same rights as men and are rightly considered equal to men. This was a very hard and long journey for the women, but after years of fighting they finally won. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Many people believe that the beginning of women's rights had a lot to do with women working on the home front during World War I, women were needed to contribute to the war effort by filling in the gaps left by the men who they went to fight in the war. During this period women worked in munitions and weapons factories. If this had never happened, women's rights perhaps would never have come as far as they do today. World War I was the first major expansion of women's rights. Before the war women had few or no rights, they had to stay at home and take care of the house and children. On January 28, a few months before the war began, Nellie McClung and other members of the Manitoba Political Equality League held a mock “Women's Parliament” at the Walker Theater in Winnipeg to discuss the question of whether men should be allowed to vote. The mock parliament used humor to highlight the injustice of denying women the right to vote. This opened many people's eyes and made everyone think about the topic. When the war began, nothing changed for women, but when there was a shortage of workers the only people left who could do these jobs were women. This is when people started to look at women differently and realize that women can do anything that men can do. Midway through the First World War, on January 28, 1916, Manitoba women became the first in Canada to gain the right to vote and run for office. for office in a provincial election when the Manitoba Legislative Assembly passes an act to amend Manitoba's election law. This was the first major act passed in support of women's rights. A few months later, on March 14, 1916, Saskatchewan followed suit and passed an act to amend Saskatchewan's election law, and Saskatchewan women gained the right to vote. This is an important factor in the development of women's rights because these policy decisions triggered the long-term development of women's rights in Canada. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Finally on On May 24, 1918, women gained the right to vote in federal elections through a law to empower women to vote. To be eligible, women must be at least 21 years old, born in Canada and meet property ownership requirements in the provinces where they live. These events demonstrate that the women's rights movement in Canada was brought to attention during the First World War 1914.