Do you think there were no contractors in the 70s or 80s? People who had a trade, but they had no employer or a stable job?
I'll give you some examples. My father's friend was never employed. He had a farm that sustained his family and lived like that for about 60 years. He was never poor. People would come and buy honey from him (he kept bees), milk, eggs, apples, but his everyday job was basically to feed the animals and take care of the garden.
I agree with BrewMaster that you all "jobless" people really have jobs. You think that you need to have a boss and a contract to have a job, but you're wrong. When my neighbor asks me to cut his grass once a week, that's a job. My forum campaign that pays me every week is a job.