Title: The Evolution of American Family Structure
Headings: The Evolution of American Family Structure
The Evolution of American Family Structure
A Brief History of the Pre-20th Century Family
Government and the Family
Depression and War
Family Structures in the Postwar World
The Idyllic ’50s
The Modern Family Unit
Further Change in the Marital Family
The Role of Family Science
Next Steps: Family Science Degrees at Concordia University, St. Paul

Content: 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. The Idyllic ’50s
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.” 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.