Family and Social Network : Roles, Norms and External Relationships in Ordinary Urban Families, 1930-1953

<p>Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.</p>This research was among the first to attempt to study families, in their natural habitat - the home. It is concerned with two main areas of family organisation: relationships to kin, friends and neighbours; and the way in which husband and wife carry out their respective roles.<br> <br> The twenty selected families were 'ordinary' in the sense that they were selected through formal and informal contacts, rather than from lists from agencies dealing with family 'problems'. This was more typical for the time of the fieldwork. The families differed in socio-economic status but all had children under ten years of age, all were English and of mainly Protestant background, and they all lived in various districts of London. <br> <br> The material collected here consists of a set of notes for each of 17 of the 20 families studied, drawn from a lengthy series of home interviews, observations and, in some cases, follow-up interviews outside the home. <br> <br> Topics covered include; <li>family and social histories of each partner and account of their marriage; <li>internal organisation of the family; domestic tasks; finances; divisions of labour; child-rearing; <br> <li>informal relationships outside the family; relatives, friends and neighbours <li>formal social relationships outside the family; school; church; clubs; <br> <li>couples general views on issues such as class, money, politics, society and religion</li<br> <br> <br><B>Main Topics</B>:<br>Families; family life; family members; family roles; households; gender; marriage; marital history; life histories; employment history; domestic routine; child-care; household budgets; friends; neighbours; social interaction; social activities; social life; money; politics; society; social class; religion.