Freshettes, Farmerettes, and Feminine Fortitude at the University of Toronto during the First World War

In her book Men, Militarism and UN Peacekeeping: A Gendered Analysis, Sandra Whitworth argues that "the creation of soldiers involves rituals and myths ... about masculinity, about manliness, about race, and about belonging.” If the fighting of wars has traditionally been framed as masculine, what becomes of civilian women during wartime? Are their roles and femininity redefined or transformed? Do the changes last? The First World War provides an opportunity to examine these questions because, as Canada's first foray into total war, it affected civilian women as much as it did military men. Between 1914 and 1918, both materials and human lives were consumed at a never-before-imagined pace. No matter how tangentially they were related to combat, each citizen was expected to contribute to the nation's cause - including women. At the University of Toronto (U of T), female students, female faculty, and faculty wives experienced dramatic changes in what was expected of them by their school and by the federal government as well as in their own self-perceptions. [Author]