The Great Depression, generally accepted as beginning with the stock market crash in the United States of America in October 1929, was a time of hardship for many people in Australia. By 1932, about 30% of Australian workers were unemployed. The high unemployment and poverty during this period had a great social impact, with many families affected. Single parents as well as many married couples struggled to support and provide for their children. In terms of children in ‘care’, the Depression increased the demand for places in orphanages. Child welfare departments also found it more difficult to find suitable homes in which to ‘board out’ children.
