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Lillian Moller Gilbreth [1878-1972] is perhaps best remembered for motherhood. Her children wrote the popular books Cheaper by the Dozen and Belles on Their Toes about their experiences growing up with such a large and famous family. But Lillian Moller Gilbreth was not only a mother; she was also a scholar, inventor, author, industrial engineer, industrial psychologist and a recipient of many honorary mentions/awards.
A pioneer in ergonomics, Dr. Gilbreth patented many kitchen appliances including an electric food mixer, shelves inside refrigerator doors, and the famous trash can with a foot-pedal lid-opener. She is best known for work simplification and industrial efficiency, to help workers in industry, which she shows in her classic Time & Motion Studies. She is one of the first scientists who recognized the effects of stress and lack of sleep [fatigue] on the worker.
Together with her husband , she pioneered industrial management techniques still in use today. She was one of the first 'superwomen" to combine a career with her home life.
After the death of her husband, Frank Gilbreth, with whom she partnered in the management consulting firm of Gilbreth Inc. and co-authored many of the worker studies, Lillian Gilbreth continued their work and extended the work into the home in an effort to find the 'one best way' to perform household chores. She also did studies to assist the physically challenged : for example, she designed an ideal kitchen layout for a person afflicted with heart disease.
Lillian Gilbreth was an industrial engineer for General Electric and worked on improving kitchen designs. Gilbreth interviewed over 4,000 women to design the proper height for stoves, sinks, and other kitchen fixtures. In 1966, she became the first women to be elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
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