Original version

BBC World Service Online

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

Factual: Money

The stories of inventions, ideas and innovations which helped create the economic world

Tim Harford tells the fascinating stories of inventions, ideas and innovations which have helped create the economic world.

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service East Asia

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy: TV Dinner

Discussion & Talk

News

TV Dinner

01/04/2017 GMT

BBC World Service - 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy, TV DinnerSearch BBC

The TV dinner, and other inventions from the same era, made a lasting economic impression

The TV dinner – and other convenient innovations which emerged over the same period – have made a lasting economic impression.

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)

Accessibility links

Programme Index

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

TV Dinner

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service Online

About BBC World Service