ABSTRACT
The gradual improvement of real earnings and the changes in the standard of life associated with this have made their mark on family life in the twentieth century, if only because the home itself has become more comfortable. A home-centred, more privatized life, perhaps partly moulded by notions of ‘respectability’ and imitation of middle-class behaviour, has through economic improvement become more generally available. Equally important, however, has been the conscious and unconscious influence of social attitudes and theories.
