Family size in the united states: An exploratory study of trends

The processes of industrialization and urbanization have been and are frequently cited as significant factors in bringing about the decline of the extended family system. An important aspect of this contention has been the acceptance of the family system as a dependent, reaction system within society. This paper focuses upon one aspect of the familial system--family size--and attempts to explore the relationship of family size to the process of industrialization and urbanization. Data collected from original U.S. Census manuscript schedules for 1850 are compared to 1960 U.S. Census data on family size. It was necessary to apply a recounting procedure to the 1850 original Census manuscript schedules to determine family size because the aggregate reports initially issued by the U.S. Census Bureau did not distinguish between household size and family size. Many households surveyed contained non-family members. The results indicate that the majority of families surveyed in 1850 were similar in size to contemporary families and these families were too small to permit adherence to an extended pattern. This challenges the supposed influences of industrializa tion and urbanization upon the family and lends support to Levy's contention that several structural aspects of the family remain virtually identical for the majority of the population, in any society, cross-culturally and historically.