Before the Second World War, women were characterized as inferior and incapable compared to men in the Canadian workforce. Women's traditional role as housewife reflected the social norms and values ​​of the time. Change came during World War II when women temporarily took on nontraditional roles in the workforce and in wartime society (MacIvor 14). Women's entry into society and their exit from the role of housewife was monumental because it was the first time that women were seen as capable individuals, held paid positions, and proved that they could do a "job". of man.” Married women entering the workforce juggled working full-time with caring for the home and children. War archives were created to commemorate the role of women during the war, and many artists were commissioned to photograph and paint the daily activities of the Women's Division. Paraskeva Clark, a dynamic and politically passionate Canadian artist from the 1930s to the 1950s, was one of the war artists commissioned by the National Gallery who painted women in the armed forces at work. Like housewives who kept the house and children while working, Paraskeva struggled to balance her role as a housewife with her professional life as an artist. Painting the realities of women working in the armed forces, Paraskeva breaks gender stereotypes towards women in Canadian society by increasing the perception of women's contribution, work and presence during the Second World War. The three war works she painted show her painting style consisting of interesting composition, a precise point of view, and the concentration of women on their work. Paraskeva Clark proved how powerful and inspiring she was as a female artist, painting wartime documents about when women... middle of paper ...... gave to women and showed them as women in society, far from their roles at home and jobs that they never thought could be offered to them. Works Cited Anreus, Alegandro, Diana L. Linden and Jonathan Weinberg. “Come Out from Behind the Precambrian Shield: The Politics of Memory and Identity in the Art of Paraskeva Clark.” » The social and the real: political art of the 1930s in the Western hemisphere. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University, 2006. 223-240. Print.Clark, Paraskeva. “Charles Hill Interview with Paraskeva Clark.” Library and Archives of the National Gallery of Canada. October 18, 1973. The web. February 22, 2010. Lind, Jane. Perfect Red: The Life of Paraskeva Clark. Toronto, ON: Cormorant Books Inc, 2009. 159-169. Print. Maclvor, Heather. Women and politics in Canada. Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press, 1996. 13-105.Print.