Yes, they did. Then parents started divorcing each other in larger numbers, so more and more children were without fathers most of the time, and also without their mothers who then had to work, even if they hadn't before the divorce.
Parents who are guilty because they aren't there for their children tend to be much more lenient with discipline & other things. They don't like to scold, or sometimes they are too tired to scold or to help with homework.
When I was a child, if a couple had been living out of wedlock, they'd have been shunned and their children probably wouldn't have been allowed to play with the other children - I'm sure the other children wouldn't have been allowed to visit the sinful household.