explain how the family structure and family economy evolved over the course of the 19th century.

by Brianne Roob 10 min read

In the 19 th Century an ideal of the husband as breadwinner and the wife as homemaker became popular, but the majority of families could not achieve this ideal, as few jobs paid wages high enough to support a single-earner family. This changed as World War II ended and the U.S. experienced a time of dramatic economic growth.

Full Answer

How did the family structure change?

How did the democratization of family ideals affect the economy?

What was the structure of the family in postwar America?

What were the effects of the Depression on families?

How did the Great Depression affect families?

What was the nuclear family in the 50s?

What was the family structure in the 50s?

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How has the structure of family changed over time?

Household sizes have decreased, but the size of the average family home has increased. According to Census Bureau data, the average single-family house is nearly 1,000 square feet bigger than it was 40 years ago. In 1973, the average single-family home in the US was 1,525 square feet.

How does the family structure have an impact on the economy?

Changes in family structure are both a cause of increased economic inequality (because the effects on children make the next generation less well-equipped to prosper in the modern economy) and an effect of inequality (men with only high-school degrees are less employable and less marriageable so women at the same socio ...

How did industrialization disrupt family life in the 19th century?

Industrialization changed the family by converting it from a unit of production into a unit of consumption, causing a decline in fertility and a transformation in the relationship between spouses and between parents and children. This change occurred unevenly and gradually, and varied by social class and occupation.

What was family life like in the 1900s?

In 1900, the average family had an annual income of $3,000 (in today's dollars). The family had no indoor plumbing, no phone, and no car. About half of all American children lived in poverty. Most teens did not attend school; instead, they labored in factories or fields.

In what way does a family contribute to the economic and social growth of an individual?

Thus, individuals from stable family units are better enabled to contribute to the economic development of society. The family facilitates the transfer of culture from the older generation to the younger generation, passing on values and the importance of hard work, discipline, and solidarity.

What do you mean by family structure?

Definition. Family structure refers to the combination of relatives that comprise a family. Classification on this variable considers the presence or absence of: legally married spouses or common law partners; children; and, in the case of economic families, other relatives.

How did industrialization affect family structure?

The family and its members are society in miniature. Industrialization radically disrupts this more or less autonomous family economy. It takes away the economic function of the family, and reduces it to a unit of consumption and socialization. Production moves away from the household to the factory.

What changes have been brought out by industrialization and urbanization to the family?

Households broke up, family lines were not continued, moral decay occurred and parents were left alone by the time they were in need of care from their children.

How did the Industrial Revolution change the common meaning of family quizlet?

How did the Industrial Revolution change the common meaning of family? It shifted the meaning from extended family to nuclear family.

What were families like in the 19th century?

Families were most important to Victorians. They were rather large compared to families nowadays, with an average of five or six children and their organization was also very patriarchal. Victorians encouraged hard work, respectability, social deference and religious conformity.

What was happening in the 1900's?

Major disasters in this decade included the Chinese famine of 1907, the 1908 Messina earthquake, the San Francisco earthquake and fire and the Great Baltimore Fire.

What did children do in 19th century?

Children worked on farms, in homes as servants, and in factories. Children provided a variety of skills and would do jobs that were as varied as needing to be small and work as a scavenger in a cotton mill to having to push heavy coal trucks along tunnels in coal mines. There were so many different jobs!

How does the economy impact marriage and family?

Growing income inequality means fewer marriages. The uneven economic recovery and disappearing American middle class mean that fewer Americans are tying the knot. Historically, marriage rates have fallen during periods of income inequality, as poorer workers tend to get married less often and divorce more frequently.

How does family structure affect poverty?

Having children outside of marriage is associated with higher child poverty, poorer educational outcomes for children, and greater public costs, including increased child support enforcement expenditures. According to the Census, children in married households are the least likely to be in poverty, at 11 percent.

What are two economic functions of the family?

The family performed two basic functions: biological reproduction and economic maintenance of the family unit. Most family members performed assigned functions.

How does religion affect the economy?

For given religious beliefs, increases in church attendance tend to reduce economic growth. In contrast, for given church attendance, increases in some religious beliefs -- notably heaven, hell, and an afterlife -- tend to increase economic growth.

How Has Family Life Changed Over the Years? - Reference.com

There are many reasons why the concept and meaning of family have changed so much over the years. To start, life expectancy is much longer. Effective and safe birth control has made it possible for a woman to control how many children she has, and more and more women have entered the work force instead of opting to stay home and take care of the family.

What is the 19th century?

England.It is also a brief summary of 19th century world.19th century has been a climax in terms of love of science since The Renaissance when people discovered themselves and became a light.In order to reflect this enlightenment into the society, literature has always been an instrument.Social structure is dynamic.Changes and developments in social structure are prominently seen in literary ideas and works around them.Scientific exploration and experiment in 19th-century have given access to references

What is family capitalism?

Family capitalism is regarded to firms that are operated by family and its family member, although it is also known as perpetuation of family capitalism, which means long-live and long-lasting, they usually could not be passed on by more than one generation (Jones and Rose, 1993). Since the early 20th Century, among the world, Europe had a concentration of the largest ten and twenty companies in countries that are under family control. For instance in France at the beginning of the 21st Century

What are the roots of sociology?

Sociological roots can be traced back in the works of thinkers like Plato, Aristotle, and Confucius. However, according to ‘classical origins’, it emerged in the early 19th century as a reaction to the challenges of modern society. Growing, belief in science, mobility and technical development brought crucial changes in the way people saw life, such as the collapse of traditional norms and loss of religion authority. Social scientists and thinkers of that time reacted to these changes and tried to

What was the biggest city in Europe during the Victorian era?

At the beginning of the nineteenth century during the Victorian era, London was the largest city in Europe. During this period and mainly due to the effects of the Industrial Revolution, a great many innovations and developments were taking place in all areas of society. The industrial revolution changed families and lifestyles and also made a huge impact on the conditions living there as well. The classes were divided during this era to poor working-class, middle-class and most well-off Victorians

What is the source of Pride and Prejudice?

This source about Pride and Prejudice, demonstrates the struggle of women during the time period of the story ; the struggle they have finding a husband with all around, good values. Throughout this time period, depending on where a woman 's family stood in society, it was very important and sometimes difficult to find the right man. In Pride and Prejudice, Mr. and Mrs. Bennett have five daughters to marry off, and the only standard they seem to have for any of them is to marry above their circumstances

How has the family structure changed?

The age of the mother is increasing from 21 years to anything above 27 years of age. The families today are much more educated and career-oriented. However, all the lifestyle changes have given rise to a range of mental health disorders. And this has largely impacted the American families on the whole. It’s still a mystery what the future holds for this changing dynamics.

What is family structure?

A family is a basic unit of dwelling where parents and children live together. Over the years, the family structure changed considerably. Divorce, remarriages, cohabitation is pretty much growing in number. Single-parent households are rising with a drop in fertility rates. It’s not that there is only a change in the number of children but the family dynamics have changed as well. Here are some of the prominent changes in the family structure over the years.

How many square feet are there in a single family?

As per the data shared by the Census Bureau, the average single-family size was approx. 1500 square feet. A lot of factors contributed to the change in that data by more than 1000 square feet. At the same time, there is an increase in the average household size. It was approximately 3.3 people per household in the 1960s. But, that changed to an average of 2.5 people per household in the year 2018.

Why do children change their family distribution?

The reasons could be many. Be it parental separation, marriage, living with a different partner, or death.

Is single parent household rising?

Single-parent households are rising with a drop in fertility rates. It’s not that there is only a change in the number of children but the family dynamics have changed as well. Here are some of the prominent changes in the family structure over the years.

What is a family?

Family is one of the oldest and most common human institutions. Since prehistoric times, the family has been an important organisation in society. Most people grow up in a family and as adults, establish a family of their own. One main type of family is known as a nuclear family. A nuclear family is made up when a couple have children, the parents and their children make up a nuclear family, in another words. There are many different definitions of what a family is. For example, Giddens defines a family as, A small group of closely related people who share a distinct identify and responsibility for each other that outweighs commitments to others.

What is the essay based on?

The essay is based on the examination of discourses concerning the establishment of women and analysis of shifting patterns of child care within households in the opening decades of the early twentieth century, this study argues that although household divisions of labour by gender and age existed in early modern era, a more rigid female specialization in certain types of domestic work in ...

What is the purpose of foster children?

... Childs family background, to promote a foster Childs own race, culture and religion, to promote education, to let Children & Young People’s ... to respect the values that a child has brought from home and when a child has visits with their parents ...

How does family structure affect children?

Schulz finds that family structure: 1 influences the economic mobility of children. Children of continuously married parents are more likely than children of divorced parents or children of single parents to move up the rungs of the economic ladder during working years. 2 is crucial in developing cognitive skills necessary for reasoning and analytical thinking and needed to perform well in any job. 3 helps develop character and empathy and the ability to put longer goals ahead of short-term desires.

How many books are in the Values and Capitalism monograph?

This monograph is part of the Values and Capitalism initiative at the American Enterprise Institute. Intended primarily for college students, the series of 13 books is devoted to the study of the moral and material nature of a free-market economy. The project’s goal is to engage Christian students in a discussion of the compatibility of their faith and the system of free enterprise.

What is the family revolution?

The Family Revolution. The last century has seen a transformation of marriage and family life. But to address new challenges, argues Stephanie Coontz, we can’t delude ourselves into thinking there ever was a Golden Age for couples and families. Marriage has changed more in the last 30 years than in the previous 3,000.

How can we reverse the trend toward widening income inequality?

The first is to reverse the trend toward widening income inequality, which makes it more difficult for poor families to enter and sustain marriages, and more difficult for single parents to raise their children in ways that can break the cycle of poverty and relationship instability. Possibilities here include increasing the minimum wage, which has fallen to its lowest inflation-adjusted level in two decades; investing in job creation programs; improving the resources of schools in our poor communities; and expanding the Earned Income Tax credit.

Why did couples not have to work hard at negotiating their relationships?

But well into the 20th century, couples did not have to work hard at negotiating their relationships because law and social custom required wives to give in to their husbands’ wishes. In the 1950s, marital advice books invariably told women to play dumb, act helpless, and let their husband be “the boss.”.

Why was marriage so coercive?

For millennia, marriage decisions were dictated more by economic and political considerations than by love and personal satisfaction. This made marriage a very coercive institution, especially for young people and for women in general. Today, by contrast, people have unprecedented freedom about whether, when, and whom to marry, as well as about how to organize their personal relationships in and out of marriage. Marriages are no longer based on the legal subordination of women and children, and many women have even attained economic equality with their partners.

What are the challenges facing families today?

New social institutions, economic trends, and cultural attitudes pose many challenges to families today. Yet we can find encouragement in the progress we have made so far in democratizing family life and making marriage a more just and compassionate institution. So long as we face new challenges squarely, instead of longing for a largely mythical and in any case irrecoverable past, we can approach the future with hope rather than despair.

Is failure to change enough an individual problem?

Initiatives for change. This failure to change enough is not simply an individual problem but a deeply institutional problem as well. Indeed, as individuals, many Americans are adapting remarkably to the changes in marriage and family life.

Do working mothers spend more time with their children?

Meanwhile, working moms have increased the time they spend with their children even as they have increased their hours on the job. According to a recent study by Suzanne Bianchi, John Robinson, and Melissa Milkie, both mothers and fathers spend more time interacting with their children today than they did in 1965, at the height of the male-breadwinner/female-homemaker family. Single mothers have less time to spend with their families than married mothers, but they too have significantly increased their time with children.

What is the role of family in pre-industrial society?

The role of the family was primarily a unit of production and reproduction which revolved around the farm.

What is the symmetrical family?

A new phenomena called the symmetrical family has emerged. The segregated roles of gender such as a “mans job” and “woman’s job” has demised into more integrated roles. This has resulted in improved rights and status for woman.

How has the family changed in Ireland?

The structure of the family has changed drastically in Ireland and many Western countries has seen a major change in the nature and structure of the family in recent times. In recent years due to a change in demographic trends in terms of marriage patterns, occupational structures, fertility and pre- determined socially constructed norms. According to Galliagan (1998, cited in Tovey & Share 2003) there has been a change of structure in Irish society due to modernisation, secularisation of society due to the church not being dominant anymore and woman becoming dominant in society in terms of roles and family planning. There are arguments that these issues have occurred for better or worse in terms of making Ireland a modern society (Tovey & Share 2007).

What are the types of family units in Ireland?

The Central Statistics Office 2006 shows that the trend in contemporary Irish society of family patterns has resulted in six types of family units which consists of husband and wife (225,773), cohabiting couples (77,781), husband and wife and children (516,404), cohabiting couple and children (43,982), lone mother and children (162,551), lone father and children (26,689) (CSO 2006). Due to these trends in the family there is now a huge amount of diversity in terms of what a family can be defined in terms of. Tovey and Share (2003) highlights key trends due to the changing phenomena of the family caused by a marked decline in marriage, birth and fertility rates and people remaining single. This is conveyed that in 2001 births outside marriage made up nearly a third of all births in Ireland which shows that there has been changing attitudes towards social values in terms of the family.

How has modernization and industrialisation changed the world?

As a result of modernisation and industrialisation it has led to changeable demographic trends in terms of marriage , fertility , divorce, gender roles, one parent family’s and contraception. Galligan (1998 cited in Tovey & Share 2003) points out that from the 1930’s to the 1960’s woman suffered legal discrimination in terms of employment, property rights, family law and social welfare. This is highlighted by Tovey & Share (2003) which states woman who previously worked in the public service from 1932 to 1973 had to give up their job when married due to the marriage bar. However this has changed significantly in recent times due to demographic studies which shows that woman’s participation rate in the workforce was 54 per cent in 1996 compared to 28 per cent in 1971 (Tovey & Share 2003). This has been mainly achieved through feminism which enabled woman to have a say in how society is operated which occurred in the late twentieth century (Hillard 2007). They argued that there was unequal power relationships within the family and highlighted that woman should have important roles in society in terms of carers and decision making (McDonald 2009).

What is the second view of gender inequality?

The second view is that there has been little change and woman are still being discriminated in terms of employment and social life. The third view is that gender inequality is changing and that now it is men that are at a disadvantage. A new phenomena called the symmetrical family has emerged.

What is blended family?

A new type of family has evolved due to separation known as the blended family which consists of two previously married people who co-habit with their respective children (McDonald 2009). This is conveyed by Russell (2004 cited in Tovey & Share 2007) that half of all couples in Ireland were dual earners.

What were the roles of women in the 19th century?

In the early 19 th century the roles of women in American society were predominately as cook, wife, mother, and general homemaker in a mainly rural setting. Families were much larger and relied on the women to provide children to perform free manual labor on the farm in order to maintain the family income and welfare.

What was the end of the 19th century?

The end of the 19 th century marked a time of change and reform for women. Turning away from the cultivated role of wife, mother, and submissive and toward that of worker and respected equal left many questioning the roles that society had previously cast for them. New opportunities in education, politics, and employment caused many ...

What were the few jobs that were available to them?

The few jobs that were available to them were being a maid or a servant to a noble family, which entailed the exact same work ethic they applied when caring for their own families. There was little to no education for women and almost no opportunity for growth and advancement within the workplace.

Why did women gain entry into the workforce?

at the time. As a result, women gained entry into the workforce and from that grew to establish gender equality within the United States permanently.

What did women do with men abroad?

With the men abroad, women stepped in to fill their shoes working in factories and acting as nurses to the wounded who returned home. This was the first time women were able to branch out in the workforce and try their hand at manual labor.

How did the family structure change?

Connecticut. There were also medical advances in contraception, including the invention of the birth control pill in 1960. As a result, the way children were brought into families became more varied than ever before. Divorce changed during the ’60s as well. In 1969, California became the first state to adopt no-fault divorce, permitting parties to end their marriage simply upon showing irreconcilable differences. Within 16 years, every other state had followed suit.

How did the democratization of family ideals affect the economy?

This “democratization of family ideals” reflected a singular society and economy, one that was driven by a reaction against depression and war and compounded by rising incomes and lower prices. The economic boom that followed World War II led to significant economic growth, particularly in manufacturing and consumer goods; around 13 million new homes were built in the 1950s. Families moved to the suburbs because they could afford to, and the family became a “haven in a heartless world,” as well as “an alternative world of satisfaction and intimacy” for adults and children that had experienced the ravages of wartime. In fact, this is where the concept of close-knit families as we know it originates. Domestic containment as a way of life was reinforced by American youth, who wanted to have long-lasting and stronger relationships than their parents had. Soldiers and servicemen who returned from war were looking to get married and raise children.

What was the structure of the family in postwar America?

The standard structure of the family in postwar America consisted of a breadwinner male, his wife who did household chores and looked after the children, and the children themselves. Families ate meals and went on outings together, and lived in sociable neighborhoods. Parents paid close attention to disciplining their children and live-in relationships were unheard of — in fact, girls stayed in their parents’ home until marriage and did not commonly attend college. Children became emotional rather than economic assets for the first time, close with their parents and the center of the family. Because of this, parents studied child development and worked to socialize their children so that they would become successful adults. Childhood became a distinct period of life. However, young girls were supposed to be housewives instead of educated professionals.

What were the effects of the Depression on families?

When the Depression ended and World War II began, families coped with new issues: a shortage of housing, lack of schools and prolonged separation. Women ran households and raised children alone, and some went to work in war industries. The results of the war-stricken state of society were that “thousands of young people became latchkey children and rates of juvenile delinquency, unwed pregnancy, and truancy all rose.”

How did the Great Depression affect families?

The stability of families was tested by the Great Depression, as unemployment and lower wages forced Americans to delay marriage and having children. The divorce rate fell during this time because it was expensive and few could afford it. However, by 1940 almost 2 million married couples lived apart. Some families adjusted to the economic downturn by “returning to a cooperative family economy. Many children took part-time jobs and many wives supplemented the family income.”

What was the nuclear family in the 50s?

The nuclear family of the ’50s epitomized the economically stable family unit. The idea of the middle-class, patriarchal, child-centered families were short-lived. This is why the modern family, in most cases, bears little resemblance to this “ideal” unit. Many of the changes that were part of this transition are a direct result of the expanding role of women in society, both in terms of the workplace and education. The rise of the post-industrial economy, based in information and services, led to more married women entering the workplace. As early as 1960, around a third of middle class women were working either part-time or full-time jobs. Since the ’60s, families have also become smaller, less stable, and more diverse. More adults, whether young or elderly, live outside of the family as well. Today, the male-breadwinner, female-housewife family represents only a small percentage of American households. A considerable majority of Americans (62 percent) view the idea of marriage as “one in which husband and wife both work and share child care and household duties.” Two-earner families are much more common as well. In 2008, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that women made up almost 50 percent of the paid labor force, putting them on equal footing with men when it comes to working outside the home. In addition, single-parent families headed by mothers, families formed through remarriage, and empty-nest families have all become part of the norm.

What was the family structure in the 50s?

All in all, family structure in the ’50s was based around one central necessity: a secure life. The economic and global instability of the early 20th century gave rise to the need for closely defined family units. This led to an ideology that lauded economic advancement and social order, the results of which were younger marriages that lasted longer, more children, fewer divorces, and more nuclear families.