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May 25, 2012 | Women’s waistlines 6 inches bigger now than sixty years ago |
London:
Women’s waist sizes have grown by six
inches over the past 60 years – because they don’t do as much housework as their
forebears, researchers have claimed. As they didn’t have the benefit of modern
household appliances, 1950s housewives used to burn up to 1,000 calories a day
simply by doing the chores. However, today’s women have much more sedentary lifestyles, as
many work full-time and spend most of the day sitting behind a desk. The extra
elbow grease needed for cleaning, washing and sweeping in the 1950s meant that
the average middle-aged woman had a 28-inch waist. Today, the average measurement
is 34 inches. The research was carried out by Saga, the over-50s group, to mark
the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. It surveyed 8,000 men and women on their waist sizes,
calorie intake and lifestyle, then compared the results with the average statistics
for adults in 1952, the year of the Queen’s accession to the throne. As well as
leading more active lives, women in the 1950s also ate slightly less, as rationing
was still in place and fast food barely existed. Typically they consumed only
1,818 calories each day, compared with 2,178 calories now. The recommended allowance
is 2,000 calories. Dr Ros Altmann, Saga’s director-general, said improved gadgets
had significantly reduced the time and effort required for housework. “If you
think back to the 1950s most women would not even have had a washing machine.
They wouldn’t have had duvets so the simple task of making a bed would have demanded
far more physical activity,” the Daily Mail quoted her as saying. “Women would
have burned a significant number of calories just keeping the house going. “Instead,
today’s women have to set aside time in their already busy schedules for exercise,”
she said. The survey also showed how the relationship between the generations
has changed over the past six decades. Grown-up children were once expected to
subsidise the income of their parents, but today the over-50s are increasingly
likely to still be supporting their offspring instead. Attitudes towards retirement
have also changed. In 1952, finishing work was seen as a chance to rest and relax.
Men aged 65 had a life expectance of 12.1 years, while for women it was 15.5 years.
Nowadays, life expectancy for 65-year-olds is 21.7 years for men and 24.2 years
for women.
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