University of Virginia Library

Nuclear Family Is Dying

Speaking in McLeod Hall
to a crowd that filled up more
than 30 minutes before the
lecture began, Miss Mead
continued, saying that our
form of nuclear family is
dying.

"The nuclear family is the
easiest medium for managing
social change." she said. She
claimed several factors have led
to our present system. An
independently oriented family
system has evolved partly
because only the most able
colonized this continent. She
said in our country, as in most
others, the best colonists were
young couples with no
children.

Miss Mead said the second
factor that led to our nuclear
family system was the
depression. "There were no
new houses built, so everyone
had to live with parents-in-law
or in a one-room apartment."

"After World War II,
preference was given to
builders who designed one-class,
one-style, large
communities," Miss Mead said.

Also with this idea came the
"all-purpose marriage of the
50's", the marriage in which
each partner was "everything
to the other" creating a burden
of over-dependence.

"Now the first marriage is
like the colt of a high-bred
mare. The first marriage, like
the colt, dies. Then, the second
may survive by experience,"
she said.