ABSTRACT
Most contemporary discussions about aspects of family life skate over the novelty of the modern institution. In fact, in relation to the family's age, even if the estimate he provides of 2,500 years old is accurate it is not it is still akin to the blink of an eye in human history. The industrial revolution involved varying dates, contexts, and changes in different parts of Europe. Overall, beginning around the late eighteenth century, it constitutes one of history's most rapid and profound transformations. One proxy reason for women, along with children, being the most affected by the revolution was the associated sea-change in childrearing attitudes and practices. It was around this time that opposition to the family grew spectacularly. One other notable change in the politics of the family in the twentieth century was the dizzying expansion of the role of government and other agencies.
