The proportion of adults who never have been married rose from 15 percent in 1972 to 23 percent in 1998. By 2020, this country will not have a majority ethnic or racial group and will be more diverse than ever. There are more variations in work life choices. The number of women starting their own businesses continues to increase. A person may live in one part of the country and be employed in another.
People plan to work in some capacity following retirement.
The gap in income between the well to do and the poor continues to grow larger. Digital technology links the world and decisions in one country influences what occurs in others. Their charge was to review the work of different groups, engage in dialogue and agree upon a philosophical framework for the Family and Consumer Sciences body of knowledge, define basic concepts and identify pervasive threads, and establish a process for sharing the framework and engaging others in refining it. The 2000 Body of Knowledge participants rose to the challenge to create a new framework while preserving the distinctive essentials of Family and Consumer Sciences. The Process Dr. Sharon Nickols, Dean, College of Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Georgia, facilitated the process.