However in the sixteenth century it gradually became the norm not the exception Some writers have attributed this to the greater availability of food Proponents of this view have not always considered other profound social changes For example new patterns of employment may well offer a plausible explanation for the greater importance now attached to breakfast as individuals were increasingly employed for a prescribed number of hours Often this involved starting work extremely early Thus having a meal first thing in the morning was rooted in necessity and was no longer associated with social status alone 