No More Brady Bunch

The typical American family size has ballooned and shrunk over time. Looking at trends of ideal family size across multiple decades, Americans for the better part of the twentieth century believed that having three or more children would make a happy home.

Those attitudes started to change in the 70’s as overpopulation became a hot topic of concern. Family planning measures and smaller family sizes started becoming a more widely held norm, with only a third of Americans surveyed believing three or more children would be ideal. The birthrate for Americans has fallen to a record low, now standing at 1.8, down from a baby boomer high, making the story of a lovely lady more complicated than when the Brady Bunch aired.