Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.trends,americast.usa-today.trends From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: trends Tue, Aug 25 1992 Date: Tue, 25 Aug 92 04:24:46 EDT Message-ID: 08-25 0000 DECISIONLINE: Trends & Marketing USA TODAY Update Aug. 25, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network FEWER SEEKING BUSINESS CAREERS: Preparing for the return of family members to school has already begun in most households. According to the Census Bureau, of the 13.2 million college students in 1989, 41% were over age 26. Women accounted for 55% of all college students in 1989, and the trend has continued upward. Interest in business majors is waning, while health-related majors are picking up steam. (For more, see special Education package below.) FAMILY IMAGE CHANGING: The proverbial American "family" behind the "family values" political debate has changed. A report Monday by the Population Reference Bureau, a Washington, D.C., research group, says only one in five families fits the image - a sole-wage-earner husband, a wife at home and at least two kids. "Breadwinner:homemaker" families fell from almost 70% to 20% between 1940 and 1990. MORE DUAL-WORKER FAMILIES: The share of "dual-worker" families - now the most common type in the workforce - rose from 10% to 40% between 1940 and 1990. Married couples with children account for just 37% of families, down from 50% in 1970. Married couples without children make up 42%. Also, families headed by single women with kids now make up 10% of all households, up from 6% in 1970. CREDIT-CARD FRAUD LOSSES RISE: Banks' losses from credit-card fraud have tripled since 1986, according to Credit Card News. Last year, banks recorded $506 million annual losses, up from $318 million in 1990 and $207 million in 1989. The losses have increased every year since 1987, when they were totaled $151 million. COMPANIES SEE GLOBAL BEAUTY: Technical advancements have improved the way make-up looks on darker skin, and major cosmetic companies have begun marketing these products, says Self magazine beauty editor A.G. Britton. Self is introducing a monthly four-page section, entitled Global Beauty, that will debut in the September issue. MORE WOMEN ARE WALKING: Women who exercise are walking even more than they did three years ago. A Gallup poll of 504 women exercisers, ages 25 to 55, shows 59% of female exercisers are walking now compared to 46% three years ago; 88% say they'll exercise regularly throughout their lives. RAISES GETTING SMALLER: Raises will be smaller next year, falling to 4.8% from this year's 5%, the Wyatt Co. says after surveying 2,400 companies. But salary increases should outpace inflation. Executives can expect 5.1% raises. SCHOOL PAYS OFF: Students can increase their future income by an average of 16% for each year they stay in school, Princeton researchers estimate. That's about the highest estimate anyone has ever come up with," says Lawrence Katz, an economist at Harvard, who says past estimates were in the 9% to 11% range. ABUSE IS COMMON STRATEGY: Lawyers and child advocates say the charge of sexual abuse in child custody battles is increasingly both used and misused. The charge now surfaces in "as many as 25% of cases," says New York attorney Stanford Lotwin. "This kind of dispute is unfortunately becoming more typical of the way things go," says marital therapist Jay Lebow. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON EDUCATION: FEWER PURSUE BUSINESS CAREERS: First-year student interest in pursuing business careers declined for the fourth consecutive year, according to a research project by the Cooperative Institutional Research Program. Student interest in business is at its lowest point since 1975, at 15.6%. Among women, 6.4% said they plan to be business executives, compared with 8.3% of men. HEALTH FIELD GETS BOOST: Good news for the nursing shortage: a record high level of interest in that profession in 1991 (5.2%, up from 2.2% in 1987). In keeping with tradition, more women expressed interest in becoming nurses (8.7% vs. 1.2% of the men.) The proportion of students interested in becoming doctors and dentists showed gains (4.9% in 1991 vs. 4.0% in 1987). MORE TO PURSUE DOCTORAL DEGREES: First year students expressed record levels of interest in doctoral degrees (12% of women and 13% of men.) Interest in medical degrees reached its highest point since 1976 (7% of women and 6% of men.) Student interest in earning master's degrees decline from last year's 37.3% to 35.5%, probably reflecting the decreased interest in MBAs and business careers. (End of package.) Trends & Marketing Editor: Michele Coleman. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM