50 Things That Made the Modern Economy - TV Dinner

Download TV Dinner

The way educated women spend their time in the United States and other rich countries has changed radically over the past half a century. Women in the US now spend around 45 minutes per day in total on cooking and cleaning up; that is still much more than men, who spend just 15 minutes a day. But it is a vast shift from the four hours a day which was common in the 1960s. We know all this from time-use surveys conducted around the world. And we know the reasons for the shift. One of the most important of those is a radical change in the way food is prepared. As Tim Harford explains, the TV dinner – and other convenient innovations which emerged over the same period – have made a lasting economic impression.

Producer: Ben Crighton
Editors: Richard Knight and Richard Vadon

(Image: TV Dinner, Credit: Shutterstock)

Published on Saturday, 1st April 2017.

Available Podcasts from 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

Subscribe to 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

We are not the BBC, we only list available podcasts. To find out more about the programme including episodes available on BBC iPlayer, go to the 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy webpage.