Family Structure in the Nineteenth Century

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Family Structure in the Nineteenth Century

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Abstract

Family structure in the United States has undergone a dramatic change since the 1960's. The percentage of female-headed households increased while the percentage of married couple households declined. This paper uses data from the Urban Underclass Database to explain the roles the transforming economy (from manufacturing to service) and the subsequent employment dislocation play in the family structure change. Results for the largest 100 cities in the United States find support for a relationship between changes in the economy, subsequent male unemployment, and family structure change. Male unemployment had a positive effect on the growth of female-headed families in both 1980 and 1990. This effect continued even when decade changes were controlled.

Transformation of American Families: Employment Dislocation and the Growth of Female-Headed Families

Family structure in the United States has undergone a dramatic change since the 1960's. The percentage of female-headed households has increased tremendously while the percentage of married couple households has fallen. Using 1970-1990 data from the Urban Underclass Database this paper seeks to explain the role the transformation of the economy and subsequent employment dislocation have played in transforming the urban family.

Traditionally the most dominant family form in the United States has been the married couple family. The image of two parents with children living under one roof is the norm for a married couple family. In a married couple family one or both parents work and income levels are gener...

... middle of paper ...

...ports, Series P-20, No. 450. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.

U.S. Bureau of the Census. l991a. Poverty in the United States: 1990. Current Population Reports, Series P-60, No. 175. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Walker, A.H. 1985. "Racial differences in patterns of marriage and family maintenance, 1890-1980." Pp. 87-112 in Feminism, Children, and the New Families, ed. S.M. Dornbusch and M.H. Strober. New York: Guilford Press.

Wilson, W.J. 1979. The Declining Significance of Race. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

Wilson, W.J. 1987. The Truly Disadvantaged: The Inner City, the Underclass, and Public Policy. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

Wilson, W.J. 1991. "Studying inner-city social dislocations: The challenge of public agenda research." American Sociological Review 56:1-14.

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