The great recession began in December of 2007. It lasted eighteen months until June of 2009, but many of the effects can still be felt today. Not only did the great recession take a toll economically on people, it had social and emotional ramifications as well. This period of time caused families throughout the United States to alter their lives due to the changing economy. What initially started the recession was a housing crisis a few years prior. Due to this crisis, several families could no longer afford housing. More and more families transitioned to rental properties, while others struggled to keep up with their mortgages. Families went from owning homes to sharing smaller spaces. Families began to move in together to cut costs. Housing was only one of the several ways the recession affected families in the United States. The housing crisis created a domino effect and one of the second things effected were jobs. Unemployment increased tremendously during this time jumping from 4.6% to 9.4% due to the fact that several people could not pay loans back (American Public University, n.d.). This caused several people to go into personal debt in order to stay afloat. Along with rising housing costs, costs such as healthcare and consumer goods rose. People could no longer afford the proper healthcare they needed, nor did they have disposable money to buy anything that was not considered necessary. This put immense strain on several families throughout the United States. It became a game of survival. Children were directly affected by the recession due to tension that the economy put families. In homes where there is less stability and increased caretaker stress, children begin to suffer as their emotional and physical needs are not met. Economic instability places children “at elevated risk for school failure, physical and mental healthproblems, delinquency, and reduced earnings and productivity” (Family Functioning and Child Development in the Context of Poverty, 2011). Several children were living in homes with parents who wanted divorce but stayed married due to cost. Divorce rate decreased during this period, as did the number of births. While these rates were decreasing, the age that people got married increased. It truly seemed like a period of time when everything was put on hold and people were only trying to survive. Homelessness increased during this period from 12.9% to 15% and food banks throughout America saw higher demand (American Public University, n.d.). It seems that every aspect of the American family was challenged during this period. Basic needs such as jobs, housing, and personal finances were all affected by the great recession. These issues led to deeper conflict in the lives of several citizens and many are still recovering today.

When you consider how much families in America were struggling during this period of time and how several people from the middle class fell into poverty, you also have to consider those who were struggling to begin with. The recession hit most families hard, but particularly challenged the lower class and minorities. The initial issue that brought on the recession was the housing crisis. Mortgage lenders specifically targeted citizens with bad credit or those who could not make a down payment on a house (American Public University, n.d.). Lenders gave people loans, but at an extremely high interest rate which made it incredibly difficult to pay back. These lenders specifically targeted African Americans and Latinos. Those who could not afford housing were set up to fail. For lower income families who decided that they could not afford a house, they had to rent. Rents were increased during the recession because so many people were seeking that type of housing. This made it incredibly difficult for lower income families to stay afloat. Minorities were also targeted in the job industry. The Bureau of Labor Statisticsreported that African Americans and Latinos had higher rates of unemployment than Whites (American Public University, n.d.). Even during a time when most of America was struggling, discrimination and oppression were still taking place.

Sources:

1. CHFD225 | LESSON 3: CLASS, RACE AND GENDER. (n.d.). Retrieved February 19, 2020,

from https://apus.brightspace.com/shared/elf/chfd225/lesson3/index.html

1. Mistry, R. S., & Wadsworth, M. E. (2011, November). Family Functioning and Child

Development in the Context of Poverty. Retrieved February 19, 2020, from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy1.apus.edu/ehost…