The Changing Quality of Life - Topic 4.2 Flashcards
The changing living standards
How did the standard of living change after WWI?
Home ownership & Household appliances
1917-1941
In 1920, 6,700,000 people owned their homes, while about 12,900,000 rented. In 1940, about 19,600,000 rented homes and 15,200,000 owned homes.
- Running water, bathrooms and toilets: only 2.6% had no toilet of any kind, while 59.7% had indoor flushing toilets. 69.9% of these homes had running water and 56.2% had a bath or shower. Non-white people in rented housing in cities most likely had shared facilities with plumbing in need of work
- Lighting: 78.7% of homes had electric light, while 20.2% still relied on oil lamps. The rest used gas, candles or nothing at all
- Cooking: 48.8% of homes cooked by gas and only 5.4% had electricity. There were still 0.4% with no way of cooking at all
- Heating: 4.2% of homes had central heating, for those without it, the most common way of heating was through the stove, although 11.3% had no heating at all
- Refrigeration: 44.1% of homes had electric fridges while 27.4% didn’t have an icebox to keep food cool in
- Radios: 82.8% of people said they owned a radio
The household appliance market boomed in the 1920s and 1930s. Most of these appliances ran on electricity. Roosevelt set up the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) in 1935, to get electricity (and with that his fireside chats as well) to rural areas. In 1939 alone, the REA ran over 100,000 miles of new power lines. By 1940, newly electrified homes were buying as many electrical appliances as more long-established ones. In 1940, 80% of all homes with electricity had an iron and a radio, and over 5% has a washing machine, fridge and toaster.
How did the standard of living change after WWI?
Disposable income & Life at the bottom
1917-1941
Disposable income:
- As the 1920s went on, more people began shopping at chain shops rather then small local stores. By 1929, retail chains were selling 21.9% of all goods sold in the USA
- Early chains had one or two stores in one state and then moved into several states. Some chains such as J.C. Penny spread to all states. There were chains selling clothing, furnishing and household goods. There were chains selling car and tractors, which also grew, and restaurant and food chains began to form as well
- These chains created an ‘American’ culture that made people at home in any state. There was also a decline of ‘mom and pop’ shops; which were family run businesses whom couldn’t afford to give the same discounted prices as the big chains
Life at the bottom:
A farmer would earn $298.32 a year, having access to only the very basic food and board provision. This was significantly less than an average wage of a non-white person for the same year, and about ¼ of the average earnings of a white man.
How did the standard of living change after WWI?
Food, Health & Education
1917-1941
Food:
People spent 23.9% of their income on food. 13.4% of this was on eating out. In 1933, during the Great Depression, 25.9% of income was spent on food but only 12.9% on eating out. By 1940, standard of living had increased, 21.1% of their income was spent on food, but 15.1% of it was spent eating out, which was more expensive.
Health:
- The nations health was improving. The death rates for diphtheria, smallpox, tuberculosis, whooping chough and polio all dropped steadily (with the exception of a rise in the early 1930s)
- The government invested more in providing free healthcare for those who could not afford it making them more likely to go to the doctor. In 1917, $3,100,000 was spent on healthcare, in 1930, spending was at $11 million, and by 1940 it was $32,700,00
Education:
In 1917, 27.1% of all children aged 14-17, were going to school. In 1929, it was 51.5% and by 1940 it was 73%. In 1940, many more children were being sent to school than out to work as soon as possible to contribute to the family income. In 1920, 8.5% of all children under 15 were working. Labour legislation in 1938 included stopping children under 14 working in most non-agricultural jobs.
How did growth of consumerism influence the changing living standards?
WWII, Industry changes & Economy and inflation
1941-1960
WWII:
During the war, consumer spending dropped as everything went to the war effort. However, once the war ended, industry returned to the production of peacetime goods.
Industry changes:
By the end of the 1950s, the USA began losing its place as the country of technological innovation. There was a shift in industry from the North and East to the South and West due to the exapnsive land, and goods and services were cheaper.
Economy & inflation:
- Consumerism was positively patriotic however it didn’t steady economic growth. Sometimes both inflation and unemployment increased sharply for a year or so. Consumer confidence was vital to the growth of the economy, and it hid many of the economic problems. GNP in 1940 = $200,000mn, 1950 = $300,000mn and 1960= $500,000mn.
How did growth of consumerism influence the changing living standards?
Teenagers & Television
1941-1960
Teenagers:
A survey in 1959 showed that they spent about $10 billion a year on: Transport (38%) - In 1959, there were 1.5 million teenage car owners; Clothing and Sports (24%) - Teenage girls consumed more on clothing and cosmetics than ($20 million on lipsticks alone), but boys spent more on sporting equipment and sporting events; Food and Drink (22%) - Teenagers ate and drank more outside. Teenagers ate 20% more than adults, and they ate lots of ice-cream and drank a lot of milk giving a boost to the dairy industry, as well as eating a lot of fast food; Entertainment (16%) - Teenagers spent about $75 million on records.
Television:
- To begin with, televisions were expensive ($200), had small screens and could only get reception in the New York area. In 1950, 9% of homes had a TV, in 1955, 65% and by 1960, 85% had a tv. This was because most homes by 1950 had electricity and installation wasn’t complicated
- Televisions did need reception but broadcasting stations grew to accomodate. In 1948, there were 16 stations but by 1954, there were 354. Many buyers lived in the suburbs and by staying in, it saved money from a baby sitter and travelling to cinemas. As more people stayed home for dinner, pre-cooked ‘TV Dinners’ that could just be heated and eaten in front of the TV were marketed
How did growth of consumerism influence the changing living standards?
Consumer habits & Health and nutrition
1941-1960
Consumer habits:
- Manufactures understood that updating their goods often would increase demand. Manufacturers became increasingly specific in targeting the consumers. Products aimed at children were advertised around children’s programmes on TV and radio
- Women were also targeted in major purchases in labour-saving products (e.g. washing machines and kitchen units), whereas men were targeted with cars
- Pre-prepared meals were also a time-saver. Providers like Betty Crocker provided the American Dream for women to feed her family in a quick, reliable way.
Health and nutrition:
- After the war, people ate and drank more than ever before, as they craved the foods that they were deprived of during the war. However, they ate a lot more synthetic food
- Coca Cola made $55.7 million before tax in 1950 and $71.1 million in 1959. Many people also began smoking more and in the 1960s, there were reports about the health effects of smoking and cholesterol
- Women were much more likely to feed their babies formula milk which contained vitamins and it made it easier to share the care
How did problems facing non-white Americans chamge their quality of life?
1961-1980
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, non-white Americans found it harder to find a job, and those who had jobs were paid much less than a white person doing the same job: in 1960, an average white family would earn around $5,835 whereas an average black family would earn around $3,280.
Many non-white Americans found any actions by the government unhelpful. The black middle-class made up 27% of all black workers in 1970.
The biggest non-white suburbs were the black American suburbs at around 4%. Hispanic groups were moving into the inner cities and the Native Americans stayed in the areas provided to them by the government e.g. Pico Boulevard, LA.
In 1966, a family of four living on $3,000 a year was the reality for 12% of white Americans and 41% on non-white Americans.
The situation in inner cities were bad. Housing was divided up and rented out and some landlords began to fail to repair their properties as rents fell, some even burned their rentals down to claim insurance. Between 1960 and 1974, the number of deliberate fires tripled. The Housing Commissioner, Roger Starr, set out a policy of ‘Planned Shrinkage’. This caused subway stations, police stations, fire stations, hospitals and schools in these areas to be closed, leaving people far worse off. Some residents began to feel angry and helpless at their situation and turned to crime, drugs or both. This was seen in areas like the South Bronx in New York, which was largely populated with Hispanics.
How did the federal government’s anti-poverty policies change the quality of life?
1961-1980
- Johnson introduced his ‘Great society’ policies to fight the war on poverty. He set up an independent agency with 130 staff and a budget of $960 million that reported directly to him and ran the policies
- He stressed that poverty was the enemy not the poor. Congress did not pass all the bills that promoted the wellbeing of people but programmes were extended to cover more people and pay out benefits
- The Community Action Programs (CAPs) made a big difference. The organisers of these projects were women. They collected data on the biggest local problems and presented projects to solve them. E.g., in Memphis, Tennessee, one project focused on high child death rate and worked with medical professionals to set up free clinics to provide care and advice before and after birth
- This scheme was used all over the county. The competition to gain funding for these projects created racial tension and even violence
