family-decline.html
SOME REASONS FOR THE DECLINE OF THE 50'S FAMILY
The role of television...yet again
The role of television and the rapidly approaching effects of advertising not only played a part in the development of the perfect family image, but also in the decline of the seemingly perfect 50's family. The fifties was a very successful decade, but, in some aspects its success was also the decades own poison. Advertising began to target kids directly and overlooking the parents. Advertising was a great way to approach children and adolescence, and this luxury of overlooking the parents was abused...but this was only the beginning. Subjects concerning sex, alcohol, and cigarettes were quite popular. An example of such commercials was the Lucky Stripe add in 1950. Its catchy jingle that cheerleaders sing says, "Yes, Luckies get our loudest cheers on campus and on dates. With college gals and college guys a Lucky really rates." (More?) It is obvious here that the ad is trying to convince young adults to smoke, not only by stating that the college kids get the "loudest cheers" but, also those in the ad itself are college students that the young consumers relate to.
The image of the ideal family also began to change. The Cleavers and Donna Reed were being replaced by characters such as Mary Tyler Moore and Laverne and Shirley. These shows were portraying the single, liberated woman. Soon after these shows were established non-traditional families were depicted. Show such as My Two Dads and Punky Brewster , and Three's Company became very popular. Recently, however, ideals have changed and mothers often are juggling a job, the house, their children, and a husband. Later television depicts the mother after the feminist movement, and the father in the kitchen from time to time. Show such as Family Ties and The Cosby Show are prime examples of the newer ideal family. In general, more divorce and single-parent homes were what was becoming the new image of family.
More reasons...birth control/ family planning
More and more ideas about family planning and creating the perfect family surfaced. Among these ideas was the idea of spacing out children. It became a trend to plan the right amount of space between children. To ease this process, birth control came into the picture. Birth control proved itself to be very effective and soon gained the trust of many men and women. It "The incidence of divorce per 1,000 married women 14 and over for the nation as a whole increased from 9.2 in 1960 to 20.3 in 1975."(Heer, Grossbard-Shechtman,p.55) There are several reasons for the increased divorce rate however the desire, or lack thereof, to have children had a large effect on divorce. The average longing to have children declined significantly between 1960 and 1975.(Heer, Grossbard-Shechtman,p.55) Because the desire to have children was not as prominent, reasons for staying married seemed menial. Also because kids were not involved, it was easier to get divorced and not carry the baggage of children.
Another reason for the increase in divorce is a result of the women's liberation movement. More females were employed and more financially independent so if the idea of divorce came up, it seemed more feasible. According to Gary Becker's theory, "The costs of divorce are less for the working female than for the non-working female; in the event of divorce, the working female avoids the cost of a job search and the lower average wage commonly granted to individuals with little job seniority." (Heer, Grossbard-Shechtman,p.55)
Click for more information on divorce and the production of the family in the 1960's and 1970's.