Baby

In Heidi MacDonald’s article “Being in your Twenties in the 1930s’: Masculinity and Liminality during the Great Depression”, MacDonald shares the story of a man named Nissen who lived in Alberta, based on his own diary entries. After getting married, Nissen and his wife Emily were expecting their first child. Being in a tough financial situation Nissen writes home to his family in Denmark for assistance. An excerpt from article follows:

“‘We have our backs against the wall and I do not know what we can do when Emily has to go to the hospital next March 1. Is is on account of Emily that I am writing to you- she has got to have good care in the days to come. ... I have lost all my self esteem and can only think of Emily’s welfare.’ For Nissen, being the family breadwinner was a minimum standard that he was obliged to keep.”

MacDonald goes on to say that Nissen’s family sent $50 to help, and that was the exact amount that was needed for the delivery of their child, and Emily’s care.

The financial strain on families was heavy during the Great Depression in Alberta and having children was a major financial endeavour. The birthrate graph to the right represents the birthrate for Alberta from 1917-1950 and clearly shows a dip during the 1930s. This shows that people were delaying having children during this decade, and many factors could have had an influence on that decision.

Bibliography:

Heidi MacDonald. “‘Being in your Twenties in the 1930s’: Masculinity and Liminality during the Great Depression,” in Bringing Children and Youth into Canadian History: The Difference Kids Make, Mona Gleason and Tamara Myers, eds. (Don Mills: Oxford, 2017), 156-169.

Government of Alberta. Annual Report of the Department of Public Health, Province of Alberta: 1933. Edmonton, AB: Queen's Printer, 1933, 10.

Government of Alberta. Annual Report of the Department of Public Health, Province of Alberta: 1937. Edmonton, AB: Queen's Printer, 1937, 9.

[Government of Alberta. Annual Report of the Department of Public Health, Province of Alberta: 1942. Edmonton, AB: Queen's Printer, 1942, 12.

Government of Alberta. Annual Report of the Department of Public Health, Province of Alberta: 1946. Edmonton, AB: Queen's Printer, 1946, 14.

Government of Alberta. Annual Report of the Department of Public Health, Province of Alberta: 1950. Edmonton, AB: Queen's Printer, 1950, 15.