Sleeping quarters in the Bunker were strictly segregated along traditional gender lines. In all, the Bunker today features seven women’s quarters.

Many women lived in the Bunker during its operational years. Originally, planners thought women would serve as nurses during a nuclear crisis, or in administrative support roles. But had a nuclear crisis required politicians and the governor general to take shelter in the Bunker, up to 110 women would have potentially lived and worked here.

As the Cold War progressed through the 1960s and 70s, women made some headway in achieving equality. Increasingly, women were occupying positions of political power, and taking on more varied roles in the military. The women who worked at the Bunker fulfilled a range of roles in administration, communications, security, and medical support.

Some women who worked here described conditions as very collegial. According to radio technician Helen Rosseau:

“…it was work, it was like anywhere else. Like a lot of people put things into a context that aren’t really there. It’s a working environment. I mean, you see it anywhere else too, nowadays, so it’s not different.”