Final answer:
The increasing market economy during the antebellum period led to distinct gender roles within the family, with men working outside and women taking care of the home, resulting in smaller middle-class families as children's labor became less economically valuable.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the antebellum period, the increasing market economy greatly reshaped family life in the United States. One significant example is the emergence of separate gendered spheres. The market revolution led to men increasingly working outside the home to earn money, while women were responsible for domestic chores, raising children, and tending to the family's spiritual, social, and cultural needs.
This division was reinforced by publications such as Good Housekeeping, which began in 1885 and focused on the middle-class woman's role in maintaining the home. Consequently, this division of labor also influenced family size, with middle-class families tending to have fewer children as children's labor was less valuable in an industrialized economy, turning them into an expense during their school years.