Social Class and Family Life, 1959

The effects of social class, especially aspects of fathers' work, on family life were examined through interviews with 16 fathers and sons, and questionnaires given to 260 11th and 12th grade boys. A central question in this work was how and why methods of socialization vary from class to class, using father's occupation to define social class. This is one of the earliest studies to investigate issues of work and family, especially focused on fathers. Questionnaires were administered to students in three high schools in and near Boston by the contributor and an assistant to groups of 30 to 40 boys and took 50 to 60 minutes to complete. The questionnaire contained general background questions on the boy and his parents, and questions on the behavior of different family members, his work plans, and on his father's work situation. Information was obtained about parenting style, emotional support, and identification with parents. There were both open- and closed-ended questions. Interviews were conducted with sixteen fathers of sons aged 13 - 19 years old. The interviews determined their occupations, social structures and emotional climates of their work situations, and their attitudes toward work. Information was also obtained on parent attitudes towards sons, degrees of affection, and disciplinary techniques. The Murray Archive holds additional analogue materials for this study (interview and questionnaire data for this study). If you would like to access this material, please apply to use the data.