STUDY SHOWS HOUSEHOLD MANAGERS CAN KEEP THEIR BALANCE
By Adnews Staff
A study conducted by the Food and Consumer Products Manufacturers of Canada and Chatelaine and Modern Woman magazines says that household management in Canada is still largely in the hands of Canadian women. The study, entitled "The Home CEO: Household Management in the '90s", surveyed 1,616 Canadian households, weighted to be representative of comparable Statistics Canada data. It found that, although one in five household managers is "severely time crunched," they are still able to find a balance between the demands of work, home and family, and are not generally resentful of the tasks of home management. Among the study's other findings: Over 70% of grocery shopping trips are conducted by the household manager alone (meaning a Canadian woman, usually). Sixty-five percent of respondents agreed that they love to cook. Seventy-five percent agreed that they like to try new and different products, while 50% like to read magazines for new food ideas. Two thirds of all dinners consist of meat, vegetable and starch componants, while most home managers rely repeatedly on the same five meal dishes they know to be family favourites. Fifty percent of respondents said they worry about nutrition, but only 17% said nutrition is more important than taste. A third of respondents don't decide what to make for dinner until after 4:00 p.m. Sixty percent of households have the TV on during dinner. Only 2% go out or send out for the evening meal.