Family Dinners, A Thing Of The Past

Monday, January 25, 2010, 10:53

The fast paced modern lifestyle has taken its toll on family gatherings, especially the traditional family dinner. It is not surprising that so many of us eat dinner at late hours, owing to changes in modern lifestyles.

A decade ago the average time for serving dinner was 5.45 pm, with nearly four out of every five families always eating together. However, today the dinner time has been pushed to 6.22pm, with nearly a quarter of the families never dining together.

While 27 per cent report that they have dinner once their children have gone to bed, over a third say everyone eats at different times. 85Per cent blame the increase in the number of working women for late dinner timings.

Mothers are juggling managing the home with a career, while dads are working longer hours. To top it off, children have their own hectic after school schedule. So non of the family member is ready to have an early dinner. In most of the cases, owing to the long working hours, each person of the family eats alone.
43 per cent of the families are making effort to sit for meals together.