Thousands went hungry; children suffered long term effects from a poor diet and insufficient medical care; people grew food and ate berries and other wild plants in the country and sold apples and pencils in the city. Landowners planted "relief gardens" for food and to barter.

Living conditions changed when families crowded into small houses; divorce went down because people could not afford separate households and many others postponed wedding plans. Unemployed men got depressed when they could not support their families and lost their status when they saw their wives and children working. Women were blamed for taking the jobs of men and in 1931, the Federation of Labour even endorsed it. Women continued to work doing "women’s work" such as nursing, and even if they were able to get an industry job, they usually were paid less than men.