Biology Forums - Study Force

Summarize the ways in which the American family has changed since colonial times.
 
  What will be an ideal response?

People often view the family as a stable institution in which few changes occur. Surprisingly, a number of changes have taken place in the United States since colonial and frontier days.



The family in preindustrial society: Prior to the 1800s, the economy in the United States was predominantly agricultural. The majority of people lived on small farms in rural areas. In preindustrial society, transportation was arduous and travel was constricted. The family was nearly self-sufficient; most of what it consumed was produced on the farm. The most common family type was the extended family, with each member having specific roles and responsibilities. Because there were many tasks on small farms, the extended family was functional; it contained a number of family members to carry out those tasks. Economic considerations influenced family patterns. Marriage was highly valued, as was having many children. With more children, a married couple could cultivate more acreage and thereby become more profitable. Children were thus important economic assets. Parents wanted their sons to marry robust, industrious women who could substantially contribute to the work that needed to be done. Cuber, John, and Thompson have noted that preindustrial American society developed a monolithic code of cultural beliefs that was accepted by most people during this era. A monolithic code permits only one acceptable pattern of behavior. These beliefs were so strongly held by most people that they were considered the morally decent way to live. To violate them was viewed as going against nature and against God's will.



The family in industrial society: The Industrial Revolution, which began roughly 200 years ago, greatly changed family life. Factories and large-scale business organizations replaced small family farms as centers of economic production. Urbanization accompanied industrialization, and most people now live in urban or semiurban areas. Products that were mass produced on assembly lines or produced using complex equipment and technology became much cheaper than those produced on small family farms or in small family shops. As the family gradually began losing its economic productive function, other changes followed. Fewer people were needed in families to fill essential economic roles. Smaller families became more functional for industrialized societies because they could more readily relocate to fill employment openings that arose. Gradually there was a shift toward individualism. As a result, it became increasingly recognized that the choice of a mate should be based on personal preference, not family need. In addition, with the loss of the economic productive function, children became economic liabilities; that is, they did nothing to increase family income but still had to be clothed, fed, and sheltered. As a response, parents began having fewer children. No longer is the wisdom of older persons highly valued, partly because children are now trained and educated in institutionalized settings. In a rapidly changing industrial society, the job skills of older workers often become obsolete. Gradually women won the right to vote. Women are also seeking egalitarian relationships with men. Sexuality is more openly discussed today, and there has been an increase in the rate of sexual relations outside of marriage. Still, remnants of the monolithic code remain. Some people continue to find it objectionable if a married couple divorce or choose not to have children, or if a single person becomes pregnant or decides never to marry.