Canadian women have served in virtually every armed conflict or peacekeeping effort Canada has engaged in during the past century and a half.

Women served with distinction in the Boer War and the First and Second World wars.

• In 1987, the Canadia Air Force opened all positions to women.
• In 1989, all military occupations were opened to women, with one exception:
  • Service aboard submarines (which was opened in 2001).
  • First women infantry soldiers.
  • First two women CF-18 fighter pilots.
• In 1991, The Gulf War was the first conflict in which Canadian women took part in combat.
• In 1991, HMCS Nipigon becomes the first mixed gender warship to participate in NATO exercises.

AS of 2020, women make up approximately 15% of the Canadian military, with over 7,900 female personnel serving in the regular force and more than 4,800 women serving in the primary reserve.

Service Group	Women (%)
Regular Force Officers	19.3
Regular Force Non-Commissioned Members (NCM’s)	14.1
Total Regular Force Members	15.4
Primary Reserve Officers	16.9
Primary Reserve NCM’s	16.2
Total Primary Reserve Members	16.3
Regular Force & Primary Reserve Officers	18.7
Regular Force & Primary Reserve NCM’s	14.8
Total Regular Force & Primary Reserve Members	15.7

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) aims to have 1 in 4 CAF members being women by 2026.