Final answer:
Option (c), Postwar couples married younger and had more children than their Depression-era parents, attributed to the Baby Boom period's economic prosperity and societal norms favoring family expansion.
Step-by-step explanation:
Postwar couples typically married younger and had more children than their Depression-era parents, which is option (a). After the challenges and economic hardships of the Great Depression, the postwar (post-World War II) period was defined by a sense of renewed stability, increased economic prosperity, and a cultural emphasis on building families and conforming to societal norms.
The Baby Boom period, which lasted from 1946 to 1964, saw a dramatic increase in birth rates. Young couples, eager to secure the stable family life denied to their own parents during the Depression, married in record numbers and birthed what became known as the 'baby boomers.' Conformity played a role in postwar family life with societal expectations leaning towards young marriage and having children.
The families were supported by a thriving middle class, fuelled by well-paying industrial jobs and benefits from the GI Bill, which contributed to consumer spending and bolstered economic security. Combined with the rise in homeownership and the move towards suburbia, these factors encouraged families to grow. Although there was an attempt to return to prewar gender norms, with women being encouraged to leave the workforce to become full-time homemakers and mothers, still many women sought employment, at least part-time, to support the growing consumer culture and the needs of their expanding families.