Examine reasons for changes in family size over the last 100 years or so (24 marks)

Over the last 100 years there have been large changes in society that have changed the family size.
The first that would impact the size of a family is the cost of having children. During the last 100 years children have changed from being a source of income to being a substantial drain. Legislation has been enforced to protect children to restrict child labour; the 1889 Prevention of Cruelty to Children act stopped children under 14 from being made to work. This stopped parents using their children to bring in income. The cost of raising a child has increased because of all the things needed to sufficiently raise the child. The total to raise a child in the UK is approximately £180,000, this then influences people to opt for contraception, which has recently become much more readily available, to save up for children; In turn changing the size of the family.
Another factor that has changed the size of the family is divorce. Divorce was very difficult, especially for women, in the early 19th century. However The Divorce Law Reform Act (1971) meant that divorce was cheaper and easier to obtain. Also a decline in social stigma made divorce more socially acceptable therefore splitting up families and changing the family size.
An important reason why family size has changed during the last 100 years is family diversity. The large variety of family types that people can choose from, not just nuclear but other types such as blended and extended families.
In conclusion, the reasons that family sizes have changed is how children have changed from being a source of income to a drain, meaning that children are expensive to raise. Also the Divorce Law Reform Act made divorce easier and it became more acceptable. Therefore the families change creating family diversity and changing