The Best War Ever, By Michael C. Adams

During World War II, many men were absorbed into the army leaving women and children at home. As the war was getting worse, the number o men in the military was not enough, and the women had to be employed n the job previously done by men. Some of the women at home were required to abandon their full time job as homemakers and decided to join the men in the workforce. Michael C.C Adams in his book The Best War Ever explained the social and economic impacts that result due to women joining the work force during World War II. This essay will analyze the similarities and differences between Michael Adam’s argument and the two oral histories on social and economic impact resulted due to women joining the army. This paper will argue that the oral

For the first time in 1944, married female workers exceeded single women workers by 72 percent. Many people including private institution such as American home and Catholic Commonwealth did not support women as war workers and they constantly asked women doing the workforce to stay at home as homemakers. According to Adams, many thought that women joining the workforce were a way of introducing immorality to the family, and consequently the results will be adultery during the night shift. Similarly, male colleagues did not like the idea of women joining the workforce. Some men felt angry that women performed the same job they did. According to Michael Adams, women felt too much pressure trying to combine the two responsibilities. Women were the foundation of many of the families at home because their husbands were in military. The responsibilities were too much on women that led them to work extra time with less sleep. This resulted to the absenteeism of women at workforce. Moreover, women faced hard times trying to keep the family strong as sometimes their housemaid got angry wit them due to late arrival from work. At the end of the war, women were urged to leave their jobs, which were then available for the veterans. Though the women were applauded for the job they did during the war, a number of them were frustrated by the action and they felt betrayed. Many women had gained experience

Similarly to Adams argument, Lola Weixel says that at the end of the war, they thought that they were learning a skill that would last them and be useful all over their lives. Women were shocked and hot angry when they found that their job was temporary and they would lose it soon as the war ended. Lola Wexiel also supports Adams point on how people looked at who joined the job during the war. Many people thought that women were only there to meet men and make them happy. In real sense, women were taking it as a serious business and their target was to learn and to contribute to the war effort. Michael Adams differs with Tara Melish’s oral history on areas where women were employed during the war. According to Adam, women were employed as nurses, teachers and bank tellers, which is absolutely different with Lola Weixel where women worked as welders in a machine