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.
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