The Impact of Changing Technology on the Everyday Life of Australians in the Post-War Period

This is a photograph of Ernie Dingo.

Australian Army soldiers marching along Macquarie ...

Open Source Open Course : Demoparty

The changing technology in housing in the post-war period such as the introduction of new, more efficient designs that focused on functionality and minimal details improved the Australian way of life. The use of these designs made housing affordable for lower-class families. The new designs also persuaded Australians to reject conservative values of previous periods and embraced the idea of building in relation to space, technology and engineering techniques. For example, Source 8.14 conveys an image of functionalism. In addition, housing styles changed as a result of the lack of availability of traditional materials. The use of new materials and techniques made house-building easier and cheaper. The use of cheap materials such as cement roof tiles, timber frames, fibrous plaster sheets known as 'gyprock' and poured concrete floors made housing more affordable for Australians. Source 19.3 shows an example of a house that uses cheaper materials. Furthermore, during the 1970s, there were significant changes in housing that affected Australians. Buildings that had been recently uninhabited or neglected became desirable and most of these became gentrified. On the other hand, high-rise apartments solved space problems by allowing more families to live up rather than out. In the 1990s, many social problems were attributed to massive urban sprawl. These include car dependence, social isolation, pollution and strain on public infrastructure.

Source 8.14

Source 19.3

In the post war period, the development of more advanced home appliances helped speed up life in the 20th century. These new appliances reduced the amount of time spent on household chores. Many women now had more time for leisure or paid work outside the home. Source 19.4 outlines some examples of advanced household appliances in the 2000s. It...