Families in a Modern Society-Victorians

Victorian Times- 1837-1901 What do Victorian times mean? Victorian times means during Victoria’s rule. The time Queen Victoria was on the throne. She ruled for 64 years. What was it like living in the Victorian times? There was no electricity, instead gas lamps or candles were used for light. There were no cars. People walked, travelled by boat or train or used coach horses to move from place to place. Why are the Victorians so famous? Britain managed to build a huge empire during the Victorian period. It was also a time of tremendous change in the lives of British people.

In 1837 most people lived in villages and worked on the land; by 1901, most lived in towns and worked in offices, shops and factories. During Queen Victoria’s reign:   Britain became the most powerful and richest country in the world, with the largest empire that had ever existed, ruling a quarter of the world’s population.   Towns and cities got piped water, gas and, by the end of the century, electricity   The number of people living in Britain more than doubled from 16 million to 37 million, causing a huge demand for food, clothes and housing. Factories and machines were built to meet this demand and new towns grew up, changing the landscape and the ways people lived and worked.   Railways, originally built to transport goods, meant people could travel easily around the country for the first time. Railways brought new foods to towns and cities.   Many households had a servant or servants – in 1891, 2 million servants were recorded in the census   Seaside holidays were ‘invented’ (became popular).   Police Force ‘invented’.   New cookers and gadgets for the home were invented.

What was Family life like during the Victorian times? Your quality of life during the Victorian times depended on whether you were rich or poor. Rich Victorians enjoyed a good and easy life; Poor Victorians had a rough and hard life, often ending up in the workhouse or early death. How many children did a normal Victorian family have? Families were usually large; in 1870 many families had five or six children. Victorian Children Life was not the same for all children during the Victorian times. The kind of life a child had in the Victorian times depended on its family.

Children from working class families had few luxuries, ate poor food, worked long hours lived in damp, filthy conditions, many children died of disease. Children from rich families usually well fed, clean and well clothed, didn’t need to work, went on holidays, had expensive toys, and had pets such as ponies. What did child call his/her father? They called their fathers ‘sir ‘Each member of the family had their own role and children were taught to “know their place” and “be seen and not heard. Religion Region was very important to the Victorians.

A great number of people went to church, at least once and probably twice, every Sunday. Food At the beginning of the Victorian period, people relied on the foods that were in season and available locally or those which had been pickled or preserved. Later, when the railways were built, many new fresh foods were available. The invention of the steam ship, and of transport refrigeration, meant that also meat, fish and fruit could be imported from overseas quite cheaply.

There were no fridges and freezes in the homes to keep food for a long time, so meals were limited by small shops. Clothing Victorian people dressed appropriately to their age, and position in society Toys Poor families made their own, such as cloth-peg dolls and paper windmills. Rich Children Girls played with dolls and tea sets whilst boys played with toy soldiers and marbles. Housing Most cities and towns were not prepared for the great increase of people looking for accommodation to live near their work place.

There was a shortage of houses; so many people had to share a room in other people’s houses. Rooms were rented to whole families or perhaps several families. Often ten or twelve people shared one room. If there were no rooms to rent, people stayed in lodging houses. Many factory owners built houses for their workers near their factories. The houses were built close together really quickly and cheaply. These houses often had two rooms downstairs and two rooms upstairs. They were not really big enough for the large families people tended to have during the Victorian time.

The houses also did not have running water and toilets. Up to 100 houses had to share an outdoor pump to get their water and share an outside toilet. To make things worse, the water from the pump was often polluted. 21st century The 21st century is the current century (today) What is it like living in the 21st century times? We live in an exciting time. Never before in the history are there so many resources available for individuals. Never before in the history are there so many opportunities for us. Here, in the 21st century, lack of resources or opportunities is no longer a problem.

The problem is how to take advantage of them We now have electricity, instead of gas lamps or candles. We have gas central heating for instant hot water and heat at the touch of a button. We have cars and public transport, people seldom walk. What is Family life like during the 21st century times? A mixture of different families in the modern society defines the 21st century life. One parent families, dysfunctional families, traditional families, nuclear families and reconstituted families. How many children are normal for the 21st century family have? Families of the 21st Century come in all shapes and sizes.

Divorce, remarriage, parenting out-of-wedlock and a host of other variables have turned nuclear families into the exception rather than the norm. 21st Century Children The twenty-first century is known for its cool gadgets and gizmos MP3 Players, iPhones, DVD’s. The surge in Internet use and social networking. From Facebook to My space, everyone is online, and hooking up with other likeminded individuals from all over the planet. Another important technological phenomenon is the widespread use of wireless technology. Children have many luxuries, eat well, do not work, go on holidays, have expensive toys, many have pets.

Children live in clean, humane conditions; have vaccinations and medicines to protect against disease. Laws are in place to protect the health and safety of children. Food Improving people’s health through healthy foods available 24-7 from supermarkets where everything is provided and available. Local shops are also available and Take always and cafes etc. For eating out. Clothing Ready to wear industry, expensive and unique fashion styles. Housing Housing is now provided by the local council for you and your family, sharing with other families and overcrowding is against the law.