Our Changing Family Life (1957)

[Music] 75 years in the story of the family as a social institution is very short indeed and yet in that time the pattern of family life in America has undergone radical changes on a farm in the 1880s Family Life followed a pattern which had been characteristic of America from early colonial times three generations of a family lived and worked together the father was head of the family in the fullest sense of the word he had the primary economic responsibility for its survival and he was the final source of authority he was teacher as well as parent and from him his sons learned their [Music] vocation in those days a farm family was an economic unit complete in itself held together by a division of labor among its members the mother in addition to her traditional responsibility for the rearing of children had regular duties such as the preparing of food when she was not preparing meals there were many other things to be done churning butter putting up preserves for the winter and keeping The Farmhouse clean her role in maintaining the family both biologically and economically was an important one and it was clearly defined so far as the division of labor was concerned even grandparents fitted into the economic picture they often lived with the family and participated in the work of the farm until hesitated by old age or illness Rosemary is Emy up there with you what was that Mama I said is Emmy up there with you I just can't keep track of that child yes she's here all right I just wanted to [Music] know stopped at this minute Emma Jane what are you trying to do ruin mom's new dress I wasn't hurt nothing you mean anything nothing grandpa says it that way you'd better behave yourself young lady or I won't make you a new dress never no never you will to you got to just because you make all the clothes for the whole family you think you're so smart stop that and get out of here before i s you right up on the machine you couldn't catch me even if you had a head [Music] start Emma is too young to have as definite a role in the division of labor as her sister Rose Mary but her older brother Franklin has already had his duties assigned Chief among them is the care of the poultry after harvest is over all the children will go back to school at the Little Red Schoolhouse 4 miles away and Emma will have studies to keep her busy unpopular as she seems to be today there's one person who was always glad to see her Grandpa Emma knows that she's the apple of his die and she has no hesitation in taking advantage of [Music] it Grandpa is almost 70 but he is still of real help on the farm particularly in the care of the livestock in the American Family of the past religion played an important role in holding the family together as an institution it was not exclusively an individual experience the family participated in it as a group in church and at home too on Sunday afternoons the father read aloud from the Bible the Lord will not s the soul of the righteous to famish but he castes away the substance of the wicked he becometh poor that dealth with the slack hand the hand of the diligent maketh Rich he that gathereth in summer is a wise son but he that sleepeth in Harvest is a set cause of Shame friend sleeps in the Harvest Papa Emma do not interrupt the reading of the scripture blessings are upon the head of the justs violence cover the mouth of the wicked the m just is blessed but the name of the wicked shall run the wise in heart will receive Commandments but of pring fool shall fall he that walketh uprightly walketh surely Sunday was not given over exclusively to religion later in the day visiting families and friends was an approved kind of Sabbath Recreation [Music] on evenings during the week the kitchen usually served as a living room especially during the winter because the stove was there although games were prohibited on Sunday during the week they were a favorite kind of recreation with all three generations taking part the children's school year was a short one because all the children were useful on the farm consequently parents often assume the role of teacher too [Music] Rosemary is entertaining A suor in The Parlor courtship in the 1880s had stricter rules than today activities connected with the church and especially Wednesday evening prayer meeting gave courting couples their opportunities to meet mama will you play for us yes daughter their only real chance to be alone was in the home of the girl where her parents could chaer on the meeting dreams thaten [Music] our [Music] heart our dream [Music] this then was the American Farm family of the 1880s a group which was closely knit economically as well as emotionally it was a secure group too held together by strong religious belief and mutuality of work and of recreation but the social forces that resulted from the Industrial Revolution were already at work and this pattern of family life was to be changed dramatically and radically the birth of a new century was not far off and with it a new way of life for the American family with the growth of factories the family as an economic unit with a division of labor began to disappear factories hired individuals not [Music] families industrial expansion brought with it the growth of cities and this too changed the traditional pattern of family life increasingly families lived in apartments not houses this Urban way of life brought with it Greater individualism more opportunities for self-expression but at the expense of the family and home ties but the greatest force of change in the traditional pattern of American family life was the changed status of woman herself the feminist movement which began in 1848 was originally directed against masculine domination for for many years suffre jetes campaigned to get the vote for women but it was not until 1920 that women in all states of the Union could vote but the factor of greatest change was the increasing employment of women outside the home in factories in Commercial Services and in the professions industry offered her employment at the same time providing her with merchandise and and services that undermined her traditional tasks today most women work not in protest against masculine domination but out of economic necessity new inventions in communication and ways of travel had an important impact on the traditional family pattern in 1880 families had rarely traveled long distances but with the spread of rail facilities they began to travel more the arrival of the automobile early in the century made it possible for families to move about even more easily and history itself accelerated the trend the stock market crash in 1929 ushered in the greatest economic depression in the nation's [Music] history whole families were uprooted forced into movement in the search for work and the way of [Music] living World War II weakened the stability of the family even further family groups were temporarily broken by the necessities of War many women went to work in factories to support the war effort and often to supplement the family income at the end of the war families were reunited but the social stability of the American family had been shaken by The increased freedom of women depression war and population movements today we have the smallest family unit in history and the least stable our divorce rate has greatly increased does this mean that the family as an institution is on the Wayne in search of an answer let us take a closer look at Family Life today both on the farm and in the city despite Wars and depressions a Harrington family still owns this Farm but many changes have taken place for example plowing is done by [Music] Machine although The Farmhouse has not changed much on the Outside Inside It's a different place the Mrs Harrington of today no longer has to spend all her time in the kitchen modern conveniences have given her more Leisure even the grandma Harrington of today does not have to work as she once did although there are still things for today's Grandpa Harington to do he is not nearly so important to the farm economy as he once [Music] was there are children in this generation of harringtons too but they have their Noonday meal at school today children are less economically important on the farm and so there's more time for Education Grace is seldom said before meals except on Sunday but the harringtons are still church members and attend Services Sunday afternoon on the farm today is very different from the past it has become a time of recreation rather than religious observance while John Harrington watches television his wife goes to a social get together of the ladies Club even Recreation is no longer a family affair the family doesn't enjoy things together as a unit but separately as [Music] individuals while Grandpa reads his farm Journal Grandma upstairs in the the bedroom listens to the radio and reads A Woman's magazine the children have permission to borrow the family car and are going to visit friends in a nearby [Music] [Music] Town what about a grandfather who lives in an urban setting Joseph Wingfield is a widower he's retired and he lives alone in his own house he's reasonably happy but today's world is a young World in which 60 is old and Mr Wingfield has a feeling of uselessness his job is over his children are grown Anna his daughter is married and lives in her own home in the same time pound the Norton family is typical of the Modern urban family in America babysitter and all the small size of the average American family has given women more time for work and for leisure this has resulted in wider individual expression and activity outside the home [Music] hi Dar oh hello Tom I didn't hear you come in have you been a good girl today yes Daddy I'll bet you have I'll just bet you have you know Tom if you would take the children into the other room I could get dinner in half the time okay come on kids we'll leave your mother alone you know tonight is our art class and it's getting pretty late you better go on ahead I'll clean this up for you that's nice of you Tom but I can get them started at least if you can put the kids to bed okay but don't ever let it be said that old Tom Orton never held up art onward and upward now don't tease you know a woman has to have some self expression come on Jamie off the bed your mother's going to express herself tonight and I'm going to be your babysitter Oh Daddy you don't look like our babysitter maybe not but I'm going to be your babysitter tonight let's go be a good girl and go right to bed mommy will be in to kiss you good night in the Modern Family the division of labor is much less marked than it once was Mr Norton assumes some of the responsibilities once regarded as exclusively feminine and in the Miller family next door even the economic responsibility is divided since Mrs Miller has a regular job just like her husband the women leave to attend their art class while the men stay home and have a bridge game one of the guests Fred small is going to be married Henry Enfield a confirmed Bachelor good-naturedly calls Fred a fool for giving up his freedom for married life but later that night when Henry gets home to his lonely apartment he wonders the life of Freedom was fine when Henry was 20 or even 30 but he's 45 now and he feels pretty alone a sense of frustration in middle age is a common experience for all people and companionship is especially needed then the loneliness and insecurity of cities and the depersonalized life that Urban people like Henry Enfield lead have made the intimacy of marage more [Music] desirable from childhood on human beings seek emotional Security in established habit patterns and the family habit is an essential one the family as an institution has changed greatly it may change even more and its future is by no means determined but it still carries out its essential function reproduction and the care and socialization of the young as long as it maintains these functions it will continue to flourish [Music] n