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Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Déjà vu, circa 1970s: Women in the workforce

When times were great, many career women could afford to leave the workforce… opting to head home and raise a family. Now, with spouses who have either been laid off, or fear being laid off, or investment portfolios that took a beating the past few years, many of those women are headed back into the workforce… according to this story in the New York Times last weekend.

Implications: Women first hit the workforce en masse back in the 1970s (that’s not counting their jump into action during WWII, serving a critical role in the factories that supplied allied troops). And the more gender-balanced workplace gave way to accelerated growth for convenience appliances, prepared foods, and other items to help make their double-duty more manageable.

I’m wondering whether a resurgence in convenience items might soon follow (whether devices or packaged goods, such as heat-to-complete or grab-and-go foods). After all, we’re hearing a lot, lately, about more time in the kitchen, less dining out-of-home, etc. Is that reduced consumption of convenience or restaurant fare sustainable, if she’s pulling double-duty again?

Mike Anderson

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