How Does Industrialization Affect Families

The introduction of industrialization on America had an unprecedented impact on the average family culturally, numerically, and social economically. After the civil war, America began to industrialize heavily. During the civil war, the United States Government implemented the federalization of all the major railroad companies as well as all factories that produced war materials. This lead to a new and unprecedented efficiency in industrialization which eventually lead to the defeat of the confederacy. After the Civil war however these lessons were not forgotten. Not only did factory owners in the north become extremely wealthy by profiting off of wartime production, but they also realized the potential for mass production of products. Thanks to an influx of new
immigrants after the civil war, and a zero federal regulation, factory owners had a recipe for an industrial explosion. But what exactly did this mean for the average family? It actually depends on the social economic class. For working class families, this meant an abundance of low paying, incredibly dangerous jobs which were all based in urban areas. This meant that not only did families have to moves to the cities, but they more than likely would be living in cramped, fealthy teanet houses. This also meant that the men, women, and children would be working in the local factory as well.
Due to the lack of regulation, child labor was numerous. Because families made the transition from rural farm life to urban industrial life, they suddenly lost the need to have as many children since traditionally lots of children meant lots of free labor for the farm. Now, more children meant higher living expenses and more mouths to feed. The average number of children dropped significantly from 6 children, to just 3.5. The traditional sense of marriage also changed due to industrialization. If you were not a poor immigrant family working in the factory, then you were most likely a single young man or woman looking for a job in the city. Because these young people were not under the influence of their parents, dating and casual sex became socially acceptable. This was not the only effect industrialization had on families however. For middle and upper class families, the standard of living actually increased. For one, because of the increase in manufactured goods, families no longer needed to produce everything they owned, and could afford to live in the suburbs or an apartment, instead of a self reliant
farm. Standard education was also raised to a new level thanks to industrialization. For the kids who didn't work 16 hour shifts in a factory, it was expected of them to know how to read and write at a high school level. The number of girls who attended high school also increased. For immigrant families, life was hard, especially if you were from a country who doesn't speak English. To try and compensate for this disadvantage, many extended immigrant families gathered together in ethnic centers so they could all share resources and rely upon each other. Places such “China Town” and Little Italy were the eventual result of this practice.