Abstract
This paper investigates food expenditure patterns of working-wife families, focusing on the allocation of food dollars between two major time-saving options: meals prepared away from home and convenience foods. Data are drawn from the U.S. 1983 Consumer Expenditure Survey. Analysis of variance and regression techniques are used to compare expenditure patterns of families grouped by the wife's hours worked and her earnings. The findings suggest that working-wife families prefer the purchasing of meals prepared away from home to that of convenience foods. In particular, families with high-earning, full-time working wives buy the most meals prepared away from home, while the greatest expenditures on convenience foods are observed for families with moderate-earning working wives.
Zusammenfassung
Der Beitrag untersucht die Ausgabenstruktur für Ernährung in Familien, in denen die Frau einer Berufstätigkeit nachgeht. Im Mittelpunkt stehen dabei die Ausgaben für die beiden wichtigsten zeitsparenden Alternativen zur normalen Nahrungszubereitung, nälich Außer-Haus-Mahlzeiten und Fertiggerichte. Die Daten entstammen der US-amerikanischen Erhebung über Verbraucherausgaben aus dem Jahre 1983.
Die Ausgabenmuster der Familien werden mit Hilfe der Varianzanalyse und der Regressionsrechnung verglichen. Gesichtspunkte für die Gruppierung der Familien waren die Dauer der Arbeitszeit der Frau sowie ihr Einkommen. Die Ergebnisse führen zu dem Schluß, daß Familien mit einer berufstätigen Frau den Kauf von Mahlzeiten, die außer Haus zubereitet werden, dem Genuß von Fertiggerichten vorziehen. Vor allem Familien mit Frauen, die ein überdurchschnittlich hohes Einkommen beziehen und einer Vollzeitbeschäftigung nachgehen, kaufen am häufigsten Mahlzeiten, die außer Haus zubereitet werden. Die größten Aufwendungen für Fertiggerichte wurden dagegen bei Familien mit Frauen beobachtet, die ein mittleres Einkommen beziehen.
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Jean C. Darian is Associate Professor of Marketing, and Steven W. Klein Associate Professor of Decision Sciences & Computers, Rider College, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648, USA.
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Darian, J.C., Klein, S.W. Food expenditure patterns of working-wife families: Meals prepared away from home versus convenience foods. Journal of Consumer Policy 12, 139–164 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00412068
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00412068