The NYT buried DANIEL AKST's article that work makes people fat in the business section. He cites research by Shin-Yi Chou, Henry Saffer, and Michael Grossman to the effect that more working women = less home-cooked meals = more fast food. They conclude by urging that further study be done to determine the feasibility of promoting public policies that might offset these undesirable consequences.Akst points out that more fast food = more obesity = reduced quality of life + increased health care expenditures. Obesity might well be a hidden tax on work falling disproportionately on lower-income workers, but that ultimately means the government has to pay. He also cites Darius Lakdawalla and Tomas Philipson to the effect

that by reducing traditional workplace hazards and making all work less strenuous, Americans have increased the risk from obesity, which is related to a sedentary life.