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Lives of men and women

In the century following Confederation, steady industrialization of the economy created social and cultural forces that changed the lives of Canadians.

In the early years, the Canadian population was overwhelmingly rural. By 1961, however, almost three-quarters of Canada's population lived in urban areas. Men overwhelmingly left farm work for the higher wages of city jobs.

Industrialization created new job opportunities for women, particularly during the two world wars. By 1956, they made up a quarter of the labour force. While women working in rural environments engaged mostly in unpaid and unrecognized farm labour, young urban women were seeing higher wages and greater validation for their work.

The need to help around the farm and house kept many youngsters from attending public school on a regular basis. As the nation urbanized, however, formal education replaced work around the house and farm as the principal activity to prepare young people for the future. Young men decreased their workforce participation in favour of pursuing an education that might secure a better wage. Women also took advantage of new educational opportunities and enrolled at universities in ever greater numbers.

Despite all these changes, however, gender roles during the century remained much the same for men and women.

1907 Canada Year Book - Related tables

1. Ages of the dead
2. Ages of the living, by sex

1927 Canada Year Book - Related tables

1. Death rates in the registration area, by principal causes, 1921 to 1926
2. Deaths in the former registration area of Canada, by principal causes, 1921, 1926, and in the present registration area, 1926
3. Infantile mortality together with the rate per 1,000 live birth, by provinces, 1922 to 1926
4. Percentage distribution of rural and urban population, by provinces and territories, 1891, 1901, 1911 and 1921
5. Percentage of school attendance of the total population of Canada 5 to 19 years of age inclusive, in 1901, 1911 and 1921
6. Rural and urban population, by provinces and territories, 1891, 1901, 1911 and 1921
7. School attendance of the total population of Canada 5 to 19 years of age, in 1901, 1911 and 1921
8. Summary of education in Canada, by province, 1926 or latest year reported

1937 Canada Year Book - Related tables

1. Rural and urban populations, by provinces and territories, decennial censuses 1891 to 1931 and numerical increases 1921 to 1931

1947 Canada Year Book - Related tables

1. Conjugal condition of the population, 15 years of age or older, by sex, census years 1911 to 1941
2. Enrolment in educational institutions, by provinces, school year 1944 to 1945
3. Infant mortality and rates per 1,000 live births, by provinces, 1941 to 1945, with five-year averages, 1926 to 1945
4. Natural increase and rates per 1,000 population, by provinces, 1941 to 1945, with five-year averages, 1926 to 1945
5. Population of greater cities, 1941 compared with 1931
6. Racial origins of the population, census years 1871 to 1941, with percentage distribution for 1941
7. Rural and urban populations, by provinces and territories, census years 1911 to 1941
8. Sex distribution of the population, by province and territory, census years 1871 to 1941
9. Urban centres with populations of over 30,000, 1941 compared with census years 1871 to 1931
10. Urban populations, by size-of-municipality groups, census years 1921 to 1941

1957 Canada Year Book - Related tables

1. Proportions of female employees and proportions of their average earnings to male's earnings, for the last week of October 1954 to 1956

1967 Canada Year Book - Related tables

1. Deaths and rates per 100,000 population, according to the international abbreviated list of 50 causes, 1963 and 1961
2. Distribution of infant deaths, by province and sex, 1941 to 1964
3. Factors in the growth of population, 1951 to 1961
4. Full-time enrolment in elementary and secondary schools and in universities and colleges, school years 1956 to 1966
5. Graduates from universities and colleges, academic years ended 1963 to 1965
6. Land area and density of population, by province, census years 1951, 1956 and 1961
7. Marital status of the population, by age group and sex, census 1961
8. Numerical distribution of population and percentage change from preceding census, by province, decennial census years 1901 to 1961
9. Populations of incorporated cities, towns and villages, by size group, census years 1951, 1956 and 1961
10. Sex distribution of the population and sex ratio, by province, census years 1951, 1956 and 1961

Related charts

1. Estimated student retention to estimated levels of education, 1960 and 1965
2. Factory value of goods, leading industrial groups, 1949 and 1955
3. Non-Canadian students in Canadian universities, academic year ended 1921 to 1955
4. Trend in urban and and rural population, census years 1871 to 1956