How Did The Great Depression Affect Families

About 95 years ago… an event that lasted ten years would forever affect the lives of many. This downfall was called “The Great Depression.” This title came from the actual economic decline in America. But this really had a negative impact on families. The birth,job,and income rates of that era went down dramatically. The Great Depression badly impacted average American family through ten years of economic downfall.

To be a child living in during “The Great Depression” was to live a very sad and tough life. But even before those children had to experience life they had to be born. But the average birth rate in these times fell from an average of three children per a woman, to about two children per a woman ( see bibliography # 4 ). Schooling
The average income per household changed during the Depression, "The average income of the American family dropped by 40 percent from 1929 to 1932. Income fell from $2,300 to $1,500 per year"( see bibliography # 3). There is a saying that “money makes the world go round” and that means feed mouths,pay taxes,cloth your families,and buy houses.But aside from the amount of money actually earned,it was a struggle to get a job even, for example,"Average rate of unemployment in 1929: 3.2%in 1930: 8.9%in 1931: 16.3%in 1932: 24.1%in 1933: 24.9%in 1934: 21.7%in 1935: 20.1%in 1936: 16.9%in 1937: 14.3%in 1938: 19.0%in 1939: 17.2%3"( see bibliography # 5). Also, women had just recently won the right to vote,but many females were the breadwinners in their families rather than the men," married women working outside the home to help support their families. Black women especially found it easier to obtain work than their husbands, working as domestic servants, clerks, textiles workers and other occupations. This employment increased their status and power in the home, gaining them a new voice in domestic decisions." ( see bibliography # 4).The amount of people who voted declined as well,"Percentage of Eligible Voters Who Cast Ballots in General Elections in 1920: 43.5%in 1924: 43.9%in 1928: 51.9%in 1932: 52.5%in 1936: 57.0%in 1940: 59.2%in 1944: 52.9%" ( see bibliography #
Your turn to the last possible way out. Death. During the Great Depression suicide rates went up along with death rates. To prove this point, a an article on Shmoop ( see bibliography # 5) states, "Average rate of death by suicide (per 100,000 population)1920-1928: 12.11929: 18.11930-1940: 15.4." Those numbers were very high, there was no experts that could help with people who dealt with severe depression. Although suicide rates rose severely there were other threats to people that caused death. For instance, "Cardiovascular and renal diseases (36.7%), cancer (8.6%), influenza and pneumonia (9.1%), tuberculosis (6.3%), motor vehicle traffic injuries (2.4%), and suicide (1.4%)" (see bibliography # 5). For some people living in a time with higher death rates was scary.But sadly,for some it was a relief they wouldn’t have to endure another day in this