The Winnipeg General Strike came at a time when women’s role in society differed greatly from today. By 1919, women had been fighting to gain more political and social power for some time. Many Canadian women were tasked with replacing men who had gone to serve their country during the Great War. Typical female work in Manitoba included office jobs, factory work, waitressing, cleaners, retail clerks, teachers, and nurses (Horodyski). They represented 23.4% of paid labourers in Winnipeg in 1919 (Horodyski). Women had also recently been given the right to vote in several provinces. Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta permitted female voters in 1916, and British Columbia and Ontario followed suit in 1917. One reason for the advancement of women’s social and political status that was especially true in Winnipeg was their organization into groups, parties, and clubs. It was common for women to organize to create groups with the goals of personal, social, political, and economic improvement. There were national organizations, local groups, missionary societies, and church groups to join. Many of the local clubs, such as the Searchlight Book Club and the Social Science Study Club in Winnipeg, offered females something to gain by joining (McLean, 10-14). Along with opportunities to create social connections, the groups were an avenue for creating political alliances in the struggle for labour equity.