Changes in Stress

The changes in male and female roles led to a number of things. As the need for females in the traditional role of mother diminished and their adoption of more major roles in political and economic positions increased, children’s importance as future economic support for their parents decreased and children became more of a play item. A couple who lived together, especially if married, may to some extent have felt a need to have a child to be called a real family or a woman might feel the need to have a child to show she was a real woman.
However, since the dissolution of stable roles also tends to lead to mental stress, major stress went from being mostly physical (mostly looking for food to eat) to being mostly mental, especially in the last century.
Communication changes also led to more stress. Compare how Douglas talked about telephoning in the 1950s and the computer-telephone that came in the 20th century. With these new telephones that everyone was expected to have, individuals were expected to be always accessible both at work and more or less anywhere else.