The Post-World War II Era and Its Impact on the American Family

In the decades past 1960, the family has been undergoing evolution based on the dominant belief systems and values propagated by the mainstream culture. These changes have made it difficult to define the concept of ‘American Family’ in an era characterized by single-parenthood, fewer or no children, varying family structures and difficulties in categorization. [1]There have been constant changes and adaptations for families across America because of the effects brought about by major historical incidences like the civil rights movement, the second world war, the great recession, the cold war, the 9/11 terrorist attack among others. The nuclear family, consisting of a mother, father and child/children, which was previously considered as ideal gradually changes in the decades after 1960 due to the then societal trends that are still evolving up to date.

            From history, an ideal nuclear family was made up of a husband, a wife, a biological child or children and an extended family. Majority of people that were legally married could stay in the institution until their death because divorces were rare. More emphasis was further placed on the creation and replication of the cultural roles for both men and women. Women assisted their husbands with home duties and raising children and were bound by the laws of coverture, thus, could not own property, sign contracts or sue other people.[2]

Husbands were providers and family managers controlling finances and a symbol of authority from a legal and a societal perspective. 

       The concept of the nuclear family in the post-World War II and the changes brought about by industrialization were covered in various scholastic debate. Talcott T. Parson argued that in the nuclear family was supposed to adjust to the economic demands in the of the industrializing society in order to deal with the new demands.[3]

The many incidences and historical events in the post-World War II further needed the family to change in response to the changing social and political atmosphere. The closed domesticated form of a nuclear family was considered as a middle-class ideal that was also appealing to other people outside the class. The norm, however, failed to prevail because of the external forces that required the family to adapt.

    From Kendra Clark’s account,[4]

she reported being raised up in a tight-knight family that also maintained close ties with the immediate and extended family members. During this period, technology had not taken too much control of young generation, and therefore, imaginations were an integral part in defining the nature of interpersonal communication. In adulthood, Clark mentioned the Civil Rights Movement and its effects on the challenges that her family members were facing. This movement had revolutionary changes on the family ideals especially because it advocated for gender equality. Many women had reported various forms of discrimination and harassments within the families. Advocating for equality was, therefore, a major change that would interfere with the order in the family. 

    An analysis of Diana Jones Quinn’s narration further revealed the historical period around 1960, children were brought up in a system that emphasized the value of self-reliance. [5]

Diana’s mother had five children brought up in an ideal clear system that helped them to identify their strengths and how they can use them to succeed in life. Diana claimed that she had not known about significant political events like the cold war or the concept of communism. However, the interview has proven that it is difficult to maintain the middle-class nuclear ideas in the decades after 1960 mostly because of the changes that have been brought about by technology. Parents are incapable of controlling the content that their children are exposed to hence, regarding the world as ‘scary place’ characterized bad events like school shootings and reckless driving.[6]

            The middle-class nuclear ideas are well reflected in C. Shepherd’s case who was born in Ohio in a closely-knit nuclear family that was well coordinated to ensure that the young ones learned the best lessons to facilitate survival in the life later. In this family, the father was the figure of authority, working as an auto mechanic. Her mother might have been employed as a supervisor but she played her role well in ensuring she has given the much needed support in household chores. The children in the family had their roles to play too in the garden. The children admired this order and wished to bring up their young ones in a similar manner or maybe better for the ones who attended college. [7]

            C. Shepherd’s case further reveals that the ideals of the nuclear family could not apply in the in the post-World War II era and the decades thereafter. For example, the economic recession in 2008 compelled women to look for ways to diversify the family income. Besides, Shepherd was now in a different family setting as a single mother struggling to eke a living from three part-time jobs.[8]

Economic factors in the decades past the post-World War II were therefore too compelling for the original nuclear family values to be followed.

            Families have therefore varied in place and time with scholars raising a debated on what should constitute an ideal family. Over the recent decades, families have been evolving and it is now difficult to tell what an ideal family is. The definitions of the concept have also changed in an era where same-sex marriages have become so common and legal.[9] However, it is worth noting that although the types of families in the modern era are more diverse compared to the past, it is evident that they are variations on the traditional nuclear setting. The major shifts in the demographic, political, economic and cultural factors in the industrialized world have altered the conventional definition of ideal nuclear family. [10]Despite the resistance that was initially put up, businesses, the government and religion are now being forced to deal with new realities that the dynamic society require revolutionary changes in all institutions.

            Conclusively, the traditional American concept of a nuclear family could not withstand the pressure from the political, economic and culture spheres to make changes tailored towards meeting the needs of the dynamic society. One of the most important triggers of these shifts in roles was the economic recession, industrialization, the rise of the civil rights movement headed by Martin Luther King Junior among others. From the three essays analyzed, it is evident that the interviewees were born in an era where middle-class nuclear ideas were more appealing although they might not have been fully implemented. Besides, as these people grew up, it became increasingly difficult to maintain the traditional family setting because of diversification of family member roles among other reasons. Currently, the evolutions that the family has undergone as an institution has made it difficult to provide a clear definition of the concept and the exact roles that each member is supposed to play.

Bibliography

Abby Vance, “C. Shepherd biography,” 2018.

Barry III, Herbert, Margaret K. Bacon, and Irvin L. Child. "A cross-cultural survey of some sex         differences in socialization." The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 55, no. 3   (1957): 327.

Casper, Lynne M., and Suzanne M. Bianchi. Continuity and change in the American family. Sage    Publications, 2001.

Diana Jones Quinn, “Family Biography,” 2012.

Hasday, Jill Elaine. "The canon of family law." Stan. L. Rev. 57 (2004): 825.

Kendra Clark, “Family Biography,” 2012.

Parsons, Talcott. An Outline of the Social System [1961]. na, 2007.

Powell, Brian, Catherine Blozendahl, Claudia Geist, and Lala Carr Steelman. Counted out:     Same-sex relations and Americans' definitions of family. Russell Sage Foundation, 2010.

[1]

Casper, Lynne M., and Suzanne M. Bianchi. Continuity and change in the American family. Sage Publications, 2001.

[2]

Hasday, Jill Elaine. "The canon of family law." Stan. L. Rev.

57 (2004): 825.

[3]

Parsons, Talcott. An Outline of the Social System [1961]. na, 2007.

[4] Kendra Clark, “Family Biography,” 2012,

[5] Diana Jones Quinn, “Family Biography,” 2012.

[6] Ibid, 2.

[7]

Abby Vance, “C. Shepherd biography,” 2018.

[8] Ibid, 4.

[9]

Barry III, Herbert, Margaret K. Bacon, and Irvin L. Child. "A cross-cultural survey of some sex differences in socialization.

[10]

Powell, Brian, Catherine Blozendahl, Claudia Geist, and Lala Carr Steelman.