50 ways home life has changed in the last 50 years
50 ways home life has changed in the last 50 years
Life looked a lot different 50 years ago. In 1968, everyone had landlines and no one had an email address. In 2018, cars can , same-sex couples can get married, and single women can . A half-century of technological advancements has put a computer in practically every home, and a cell phone in almost everyone's hands.
An undeniable catalyst for the most change was the invention of the modern internet, which was introduced as Now, shopping for anything can be done online. Entertainment and news are consumed on-demand in real time. With search engines at their fingertips, students no longer spend long hours at the library or combing through their for their book reports.
Domestic life also looks different: More women , men share more of the household chores—though perhaps as some might like—and families are .
Using data from the Pew Research Center, the U.S. Census Bureau, and news reports, Âé¶¹Ô´´ compiled a list of 50 ways family and domestic life has changed over the past 50 years. Click through to see how modern life is totally different.
More mothers are breadwinners
In 1960, only with children under 18 had mothers who contributed all or most of the income for the family. In 2018, that number—which includes single and married moms—has .
Working moms are the norm
In the 1960s, only about worked up until the month before giving birth. In the late 2000s, that number rose to 82%. Expectant mothers were able to work more easily after the was passed in 1978. This amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits sex discrimination based on pregnancy. Because working mothers can't usually return home during the day, they have the right at work. Employers covered under the Fair Labor Standards Act () are required to provide a clean, quiet space other than a bathroom. Although it is illegal to fire—or choose to not hire—a woman because she is pregnant, .
Couples share more chores
In 1965, men dedicated a week to domestic chores. A 2012 study showed that had doubled to four hours by 2010, a number that leveled off in the ‘90s. Men still don't do as much housework as women, and . Women report doing more laundry and house cleaning. that when men share in the housework, couples are more satisfied with their relationship.
Women are having fewer children
Fertility rates in the United States for decades. In 2018, rates for American women hit of 1.76 births, but at least the rate for teenage pregnancy has since 1991.
The internet
In 1969, the U.S. Department of Defense started using the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET), the precursor . The public didn't get the World Wide Web until 1991. Google launched in 1998, and now nearly half of the world's population .
Most homes have a computer
In 1975, the first modern desktop computer. In 2015, had a desktop or laptop computer, and 77% had a broadband internet subscription. In 2008, for the first time.
Television channels expanded
In the 1960s, there were only : ABC, CBS, and NBC. In 2018, satellite and cable options offer , including movie networks like HBO, which , and MTV, which started in 1981.
Emails send instant letters
Before the ubiquity of the internet, people wrote and mailed physical letters. In 1996, Hotmail started that could send messages instantaneously. A year later, about 10 million people worldwide had an email address. By 2019, about are expected to use email.
The internet replaced encyclopedias
Before Google and Wikipedia, kids thumbed through volumes or the World Book to get information for their book reports and history projects. In 2012, further editions, a decision some say .
Books can be stored digitally
There were no Kindles, iPads, or other e-readers 50 years ago, so readers carried physical copies of their books. Now, avid readers can , keeping in one portable place. Physical books aren't dead, however—e-books actually saw in 2017.
People are giving up their landlines
More than has given up landlines. Since cell phone ownership , older generations are more likely to hang on to their home phones.
Almost everyone has a smartphone
While 95% of the population has a cell phone, about 77% of Americans For many, these internet-enabled devices are their chief means of getting online at home. From 2007 to 2013, the smartphone saw double-digit sales growth. Since so many people now have smartphones—and are holding onto them for longer—sales in 2017.
People are constantly available
In the 1960s, people were much less connected. Getting someone on the phone meant ringing them up at home or at work, not on their commute in-between. Since people constantly have their cell phones next to them, they're almost always reachable, which .
Netflix killed Blockbuster
The first VHS tape from Japan in 1977. The original VCR cost $1,280 (more than $5,000 in inflation-adjusted dollars). Consumers (and later DVDs) beginning in 1987. When in 1997, it killed video rental chains ().
Same-sex marriage is legal
In 1968, being gay was . It wasn't removed from the diagnostic manual until 1987. Over , society has become more inclusive of the LGBTQ community, and in 2015, the Supreme Court in all 50 states.
The internet replaced newspapers
Newspaper circulation increased in the ‘60s, and with more than receiving a paper on Sunday morning. After the rise of the internet and major declines in advertising, the Sunday circulation dropped to fewer than 34 million subscribers. Newsrooms have lost nearly half of their reporters, editors, and photographers since 2004.
TV commercials are avoidable
With the development of DVR technology, which records live television, people can . With like Netflix and Hulu, viewers can avoid ads completely.
Machines vacuum by themselves
The Roomba in 2002, and consumers had purchased more than a million of these small, efficient robotic vacuums by 2004. The Roomba was one of the first robots that . Some models collect data while they clean, prompting concern that the vacuums could transmit information about home layout
Mirrors can give the weather and exercise lessons
Mirrors of the ‘60s could do one thing: reflect. Modern can show someone's visage while simultaneously displaying text messages and the weather. They can also provide (for a price).
More people work remotely
In 2017, 43% of the American workforce for at least some of the week. Those who spent 60-80% of their time away from the office reported the highest levels of engagement.
Data storage improved
In 1971, IBM installed into their computers, the first of which of data. By 1986, the disk size decreased and the storage capacity increased to 1.44 megabytes. In 2018, Samsung created a 2.5-inch device that can of storage—enough memory for 5,700 HD movies.
More people recycle
The first curbside recycling truck . Now the practice is commonplace, though people often unintentionally .
No more milk delivery
While Americans still depend on daily mail carriers, the milkman has all but disappeared. In 1963, almost 30% of the population . By 2005—when milk was cheap, readily available, and easy to transport—that figure plunged to 0.4%.
GPS replaced physical maps
Before personal GPS technology, people found their way using map books. While these paper guides , their popularity has waned. It might be worth breaking out a physical map every now and then, however. When humans depend on digital directions, the brain's navigation function .
People love the suburbs
Before World War II, lived in the suburbs. By 2010, more than half of the population had opted for single-family homes outside of the city. Bucking the trend in 2014, young professionals and older Americans started moving .
Meal ingredients can be delivered
In the 1960s, someone had to pull out a cookbook before heading to a market to buy ingredients. Now, whether someone is vegan, gluten-free, or a meat-lover, they can have dinner delivered. come with ingredients that customers prepare themselves, while others are pre-packaged and ready to eat.
Grocery shopping on-demand
Don't want to leave the house to get fresh flowers, dairy-free ice cream, or toilet paper? Now online services to the front door, often same day. Whole Foods, founded in 1980 and in 2018, can deliver in two hours.
More people have pets
Dog- and cat-ownership in the last 50 years. In 2018, spending on pets of $70 billion. $440 million of that was just for Halloween costumes, and .
Houses are more expensive, people are renting longer
While home values , incomes have not risen at the same pace. Compared to the ‘70s, renters are waiting to buy a home. The average age for a new .
More unmarried couples are cohabiting
Since 2007, the number of cohabiting adults . The number of unmarried adults who are 50 or older and live together rose by 75%.
Women have more reproductive control
In 1960, the FDA approved the first . Within five years, had prescriptions for oral contraception. In 1973, to abortion services. The next several decades saw a revolution in , including the IUD and Plan B, emergency contraception .
Women can get a credit card on their own
An unmarried woman wasn't allowed to until the in 1974. Until then, only men or married women, whose husbands co-signed their applications, could obtain one.
High school students are having less sex
Parents nationwide will be excited to hear that between 1991 to 2017, the percentage of high school students who had sexual intercourse . Kids may be sexting on their smartphones from their bedrooms, but they're on track to have fewer sex partners than previous generations.
People are waiting longer to get married
In 1960, 18 and older were married, and they married . Only about half of adults were married as of 2016. was 27.4 years old when she married for the first time; men were 29.5.
More single parent families
In 1960, 73% of children who had likely never been married before. Only 46% of kids live in that type of household today. Single or cohabiting, unmarried parents are more common than they were 50 years ago.
People can listen to unlimited amounts of music
In 1979, people could take their music with them for the first time . Between 1987 to 1997, the popular device led to a 30% increase in the number of people who said they walked for exercise. Cassette tapes gave way to CDs in the ‘90s, which could be listened to on the go with a Discman. Apple's iPod , and now people can access an unlimited amount of music through their smartphones.
There is a subscription for anything
In the 1960s, people got subscriptions to their favorite magazines. In 2018, you can subscribe to monthly services that send boxes from scented candles or murder mystery novels to fossils, craft beer, and dog treats.
Physical banks aren't that necessary
In the digital age, people can deposit or transfer money on their computers or smartphone apps. They can also get money from an ATM, further reducing the need for physical banks. While many choose to bank electronically, physical branches are still in many communities.
Cars can drive themselves
There aren't flying cars yet, but self-driving vehicles are a reality. have received some bad press, but many think for drivers and pedestrians in the long run.
More teens are transgender
In 2016, about 3% of teens or gender non-conforming. , more kids are openly talking about gender fluidity, and celebrities like Caitlyn Jenner and actress Laverne Cox are raising awareness of trans people's stories.
Millennials don't need a car
With the advent of ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft, many urbanites are entirely, resulting in fewer car purchases than previous generations. More than half of millennials—those born —claim they simply .
Depression and anxiety rates are up
In the 1960s, depression . The antidepressant Prozac . Over the past 50 years, depression has become the , and teens are than any other time in history.
Fewer people smoke
In 1964, the U.S. Surgeon General released its . Since then, more than 20 million people have died from smoking, which is the leading preventable cause of death. Compared to 50 years ago, fewer people are picking up the habit; smoking rates by more than 50%.
Older people are working longer
In the 1980s, 25% of men ages 65-69 . That number is 40% today. People are putting off retirement, partly because people are living longer, but a lack of social benefits also plays a role.
More people eat out
Compared to previous decades, people are more likely than cook at home. In 2015, people spent than on groceries for the first time ever. Fast food, paired with the ease of ordering take-out and delivery, makes eating away from home more convenient than it was 50 years ago.
Fast fashion means more clothing waste
In the 1960s, people were more likely to make their own clothes or buy fewer items. , consumption has increased and fashion retailers like H&M and Zara have drastically lowered clothing prices. This has lead to an increase in the amount of clothes people buy and throw away.
People are bigger
Over the past 50 years, dramatically in both teenagers and adults. Since people are choosing to eat out more—and portions are up to four times larger than they were in the ‘50s—it's become harder to identify a healthy portion of food.
Kids stay at home longer
In 2016, a report showed that young adults between the ages of 18 and 34 were more likely than in any other type of housing. People are more likely to live at home longer.
Microwaves
The in 1954. In 1971, only 1% of households had . In 2016, 96% of American households were equipped with one of these quick-cooking appliances.
Smart refrigerator
Side-by-side refrigerators in 1949, but weren't common until the '60s. Back then, it was a novelty to have a freezer that would prevent frostbite on food. is much more energy-efficient than it was 50 years ago, and can track expiration dates and order food. Close to 100% of American homes have a refrigerator;