The Birth of the
Modern Family
In general, family life stabilized after 1850 as
the home became more important for
people of all social classes and attitudes
toward women and children changed.
 During the 18th and early 19th centuries, family life had
become destabilized
 High rates of illegitimacy (reaching 40% to 50% of all births)
 Widespread premarital and extramarital sexual contact
 These rates varied from region to region but were higher in
urbanized/industrialized areas
 By the middle of the 19th century the family situation
had changed
 Illegitimacy rates declined
 Population growth was accomplished by a decline in death
rates
 As fewer children died young, parents limited the number of
their offspring through various contraceptive methods then
available
 Parents of all classes were more devoted to their children
and more invested in preparing them for future success
 Breastfeeding children personally rather than employing a wet-nurse increased
 Abandonment of illegitimate children declined
 The birthrate declined and family size shrank to about 6 in
the 1890s and to about four in the 1920s.
 Gender roles in the family changed as separate
spheres became the ideal and in many cases the
practice, especially when real wages rose after 1850
 Women were limited to household roles, such as supervision of
servants, and had few legal rights.
 The family was no longer an economically productive
unit, except in working-class families where the
husband could not support the family, and also in the
retail business.
 Religion became less important in working-class
families, although they continued to baptize their
children.
 Most working-class families continued to live close to
kinship groups.
o Government services for the poor barely existed so people
relied on their families for help particularly in case of
unexpected deaths to cover funeral expenses and take care of
those left behind, and to aid in case of sickness or old age.
• Romantic love rather than arranged marriage became
the new ideal, particularly in the working classes where
economic considerations were not relevant.
o In the middle-class, arranged marriages remained an important
way to improve the family social connections and economic
prospects.
o Middle class men often married late, after they had become
economically established, and chose younger wives who had
been under the careful supervision of their parents and this age
gap was a common source of marital tension.
• Married and unmarried couples went out together to
pubs or music halls or concerts.
• Public transportation systems made it possible for many
families to move to better housing and to have
weekend excursions.