= Home economics =

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= Home economics =
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Introduction
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Home economics, domestic science or home science is a field of study
that deals with the relationship between individuals, families,
communities, and the environment in which they live. Home economics
courses are offered internationally and across multiple educational
levels. Home economics courses have been important throughout history
because it gave women the opportunity to pursue higher education and
vocational training in a world where only men were able to learn in
such environments. In modern times, home economics teaches people of
all genders important life skills, such as cooking, sewing, and
finances. With the stigma the term �home economics� has earned over
the years, the course is now often referred to by different terms,
such as �family and consumer science.�

Name
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Family and consumer science was previously known in the United States
as home economics, often abbreviated "home ec" or "HE". In 1994,
various organizations, including the American Association of Family
and Consumer Sciences, adopted the new term "family and consumer
science" to reflect the fact that the field covers aspects outside of
home life and wellness.

The field is also known by other names, including human sciences, home
science, and domestic economy. In addition, home economics has a
strong historic relationship to the field of human ecology, and since
the 1960s a number of university-level home economics programs have
been renamed "human ecology" programs, including Cornell University's
program.

19th Century
==============
Over the years, homemaking in the United States has been a
foundational piece of the education system, particularly for women.
These homemaking courses, called home economics, have had a prevalent
presence in secondary and higher education since the 19th century. By
definition, home economics is �the art and science of home
management�, meaning that the discipline incorporates both creative
and technical aspects into its teachings. Home economics courses often
consist of learning how to cook, how to do taxes, and how to perform
child care tasks. In the United States, home economics courses have
been a key part of learning the art of taking care of a household. One
of the first to champion the economics of running a home was Catherine
Beecher, sister to Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Since the 19th century, schools have been incorporating home economics
courses into their education programs. In the United States, the
teaching of home economics courses in higher education greatly
increased with the Morrill Act of 1862. Signed by Abraham Lincoln, the
Morrill Act of 1862 granted land to each state or territory in America
for higher educational programs in vocational arts, specifically
mechanical arts, agriculture, and home economics. Such land grants
allowed for people of a wider array of social classes to receive
better education in important trade skills.

Home economics courses mainly taught students how to cook, sew,
garden, and take care of children. The vast majority of these programs
were dominated by women. Home economics allowed for women to receive a
better education while also preparing them for a life of settling
down, doing the chores, and taking care of the children while their
husbands became the breadwinners. At this time, homemaking was only
accessible to middle and upper class white women whose families could
afford secondary schooling.

In the late 19th century, the Lake Placid Conferences took place. The
conferences consisted of a group of educators working together to
elevate the discipline to a legitimate profession. Originally, they
wanted to call this profession "oekology", the science of right
living. However, "home economics" was ultimately chosen as the
official term in 1899.

20th Century
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Home economics in the United States education system increased in
popularity in the early 20th century. It emerged as a movement to
train women to be more efficient household managers. At the same
moment, American families began to consume many more goods and
services than they produced. To guide women in this transition,
professional home economics had two major goals: to teach women to
assume their new roles as modern consumers and to communicate
homemakers� needs to manufacturers and political leaders. The
development of the profession progressed from its origins as an
educational movement to its identity as a source of consumer expertise
in the interwar period to its virtual disappearance by the 1970s. An
additional goal of the field was to �rationalize housework�, or lend
the social status of a profession to it, based on a theory that
housework could be intellectually fulfilling to women engaged in it,
along with any emotional or relational benefits.

In 1909, Ellen Swallow Richards founded the American Home Economics
Association (now called the American Association of Family and
Consumer Sciences). From 1900 to 1917, more than thirty bills
discussed in Congress dealt with issues of American vocational
education and, by association, home economics. Americans wanted more
opportunities for their young people to learn vocational skills and to
learn valuable home and life skills. However, home economics was still
dominated by women and women had little access to other vocational
trainings. As stated by the National Education Association (NEA) on
the distribution of males and females in vocations, �one-third of our
menfolk are in agriculture, and one-third in non-agricultural
productive areas; while two-thirds of our women are in the vocation of
homemaking�.

Practice homes were added to American universities in the early 1900s
in order to model a living situation, although the all-women �team�
model used for students was different from prevailing expectations of
housewives. For example, women were graded on collaboration, while
households at the time assumed that women would be working
independently. Nevertheless, the practice homes were valued. These
practicum courses took place in a variety of environments including
single-family homes, apartments, and student dorm-style blocks. For a
duration of a number of weeks, students lived together while taking on
different roles and responsibilities, such as cooking, cleaning,
interior decoration, hosting, and budgeting. Some classes also
involved caring for young infants, temporarily adopted from
orphanages. Childcare practicums were often included at the same time
as other classwork, requiring students to configure their intellectual
and home lives as compatible with one another. According to Megan
Elias, �in the ideal, domestic work was as important as work done
outside the home and it was performed by teams of equals who rotated
roles. Each member of the team was able to live a life outside the
home as well as inside the home, ideally, one that both informed her
domestic work and was informed by it. This balance between home and
the wider world was basic to the movement�.

There was a great need across the United States to continue improving
the vocational and homemaking education systems because demand for
work was apparent after World War I and II. Therefore, in 1914 and
1917, women's groups, political parties, and labor coalitions worked
together in order to pass the Smith-Lever Act and the Smith-Hughes
Act. The Smith-Lever Act of 1914 and the Smith-Hughes Act of 1917
created federal funds for "vocational education agriculture, trades
and industry, and homemaking" and created the Office of Home
Economics. With this funding, the United States was able to create
more homemaking educational courses all across the country.

Throughout the 1940s, Iowa State College (later University) was the
only program granting a master of science in household equipment.
However, this program was centered on the ideals that women should
acquire practical skills and a scientifically based understanding of
how technology in the household works. For example, women were
required to disassemble and then reassemble kitchen machinery so they
could understand basic operations and understand how to repair the
equipment. In doing so, Iowa State effectively created culturally
acceptable forms of physics and engineering for women in an era when
these pursuits were not generally accessible to them.

Throughout the latter part of 20th century, home economics courses
became more inclusive. In 1963, Congress passed the Vocational
Education Act, which granted even more funds to vocational education
job training. Home economics courses started being taught across the
nation to both boys and girls by way of the rise of second-wave
feminism. This movement pushed for gender equality, leading to
equality of education. In 1970, the course became required for both
men and women. Starting in 1994, home economics courses in the United
States began being referred to as "family and consumer science" in
order to make the class appear more inclusive. With desegregation and
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, men and women of all backgrounds could
equally learn how to sew, cook, and balance a checkbook.

In the 1980s, "domestic celebrities" rose to stardom. Celebrities,
such as Martha Stewart, created television programs, books, magazines,
and websites about homemaking and home economics, which attested to
the continued importance of independent experts and commercial
mass-media organizations in facilitating technological and cultural
change in consumer products and services industries.

21st Century
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       Present day, the prevalence of home
economics courses has declined. Instead, schools are focusing more on
courses that prepare one for university rather than life skills. Also,
homemaking and home economics courses have developed a negative
connotation because of the negative gender bias associated with home
economics courses. Despite this, homemaking is now socially acceptable
for both men and women to partake in. In the United States, both men
and women are expected to take care of the home, the children, and the
finances. More women are pursuing higher education rather than
homemaking. In 2016, 56.4% of college students were female as opposed
to 34.5% in 1956. Some schools are starting to incorporate life skill
courses back into their curriculum, but as a whole, home economics
courses have been in major decline in the past century.

By country
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FCS is taught worldwide, as an elective or a required course in
secondary education, and in many tertiary and continuing education
institutions. Sometimes it is also taught in primary education.
International cooperation in the field is coordinated by the
International Federation for Home Economics, established in 1908.

Canada
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In the majority of elementary (K-6) and public (K-8) schools in
Canada, home economics is not taught. General health education is
provided as part of a physical education class.
In High Schools or Secondary Schools, there is no specific home
economics course, but students may choose related courses to take,
such as Family Studies, Food and Nutrition, or Health and Safety.

Germany
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Between 1880 and 1900, the Reifenstein schools concept was initiated
by Ida von Kortzfleisch, a Prussian noble woman and early German
feminist. Reifenstein refers to Reifenstein im Eichsfeld, a
municipality in Thuringia and site of the first permanent school.
Reifensteiner Verband comprised from 1897 till 1990 about 15 own
schools and cooperated with further operators. About 40
wirtschaftliche Frauenschulen, rural economist women schools were
connected to the Reifensteiner concept and movement and allowed higher
education for women already in the German Kaiserreich. The 1913
doctorate of Johannes Kramer compared different concepts of home
economic education worldwide and praised the system e.g. in Iowa.

South Korea
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In South Korea, the field is most commonly known as "family studies"
or "family science" (�� 과�, gajeong-gwahak). The field began in schools
taught by Western missionaries in the late 19th century. The first
college-level department of family science was established at Ewha
Womans University in Seoul in 1929.

United States
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In 2012 there were only 3.5 million students enrolled in FCS secondary
programs, a decrease of 38 percent over a decade.

Home science in India
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Many Education boards in India such as NIOS, CBSE, ICSE, CISCE and
various state boards offer home science as a subject in their courses.

United Kingdom
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In the UK, Home Economics was once a GCSE qualification offered to
secondary school pupils, but has since been replaced with a course
entitled Food and Nutrition which focuses more on the nutritional side
of food to economics.

In Scotland, Home Economics was replaced by Hospitality: Practical
Cooking at National 3,4 and 5 level and Health and Food Technology at
National 3, 4, 5, Higher and Advanced Higher. The awarding body is the
SQA.

Content
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Situated in the human sciences, home economics draws from a range of
disciplines to achieve optimal and sustainable living for individuals,
families, and communities. Historically, home economics has been in
the context of the home and household, but this has extended in the
21st century to include the wider living environments as we better
understand that the capacities, choices, and priorities of individuals
and families impact at all levels, ranging from the household to the
local and the global community. Home economists are concerned with
promoting and protecting the well-being of individuals, families, and
communities; they facilitate the development of attributes for
lifelong learning for paid, unpaid, and voluntary work. Home economics
professionals are advocates for individuals, families, and
communities.

The content of home economics comes from the synthesis of multiple
disciplines. This interdisciplinary knowledge is essential because the
phenomena and challenges of everyday life are not typically
one-dimensional. The content of home economics courses vary, but may
include: food, nutrition, and health; personal finance; family
resource management and planning; textiles and clothing; shelter and
housing; consumerism and consumer science; household management;
design and technology; food science and hospitality; human development
and family studies; communication and extension education and
community services, among others. The capacity to draw from such
disciplinary diversity is a strength of the profession, allowing for
the development of specific interpretations of the field, as relevant
to the context.

Cleaning
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Home cleaning tasks can be separated into four categories: litter
removal, storage of belongings, dusting, and washing of surfaces.
Washing of surfaces is the most dangerous and complicated part because
of the cleaning solutions. For example, hard water deposits are
cleaned with acid solutions and grease is cleaned with alkaline
solutions; they can both harm the skin and are reactive toward each
other, potentially producing unwanted by-products. Mixing together
chlorine bleach and strong acids (e.g. limescale remover containing
HCl) forms chlorine gas, which is toxic. Solvents such as paint
thinner and rubbing alcohol are toxic and flammable. Some
disinfectants are toxic. Even dish water can require rubber gloves.

Professional associations
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The AAFCS (American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences)
represents teachers, educators, cooperatives, business, designers and
nutritionists. The American Association of Family & Consumer
Sciences (AAFCS) is the only national forum where K-12 teachers,
university educators, and corporate executives collaborate to improve
the quality of individual and family life.

The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) is the
largest American national education association dedicated to the
advancement of education that prepared youth and adults for successful
careers. ACTE's core purpose is to provide leadership in developing
an educated, prepared, and competitive workforce. The ACTE division
of Family and Consumer Sciences Education includes three sections (1)
NATFACS - National Association Teachers of Family and Consumer
Sciences (2) NATEFACS - National Association Teacher Educators of
Family andy Consumer Sciences, andy (3) NASAFACS - National
Association State Administrators of Family and Consumer Sciences.

The National Council on Family Relations, (NCFR) founded in 1938, is
the oldest multidisciplinary, nonpartisan professional organization
focused solely on family research, practice and education. They claim
to be the premier professional association for the multidisciplinary
understanding of families. The members� interests�as diverse as their
careers and backgrounds�are focused on topics and efforts that yield a
common benefit: �understanding and strengthening families. NCFR
members are professionals dedicated to understanding and strengthening
families. The 3,400-plus members come from more than 35 countries and
all 50 U.S. states, and include: researchers, demographers, marriage
and family therapists, parent/family educators, university faculty,
students, social workers, public health workers, extension specialists
and faculty, ECFE teachers, clergy, counselors, K-12 teachers, and
more.

See also
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* Consumer economics
* Domestic technology
* Ellen Swallow Richards
* Euthenics
* Family (economics)
* Homemaker
* Human ecology

Further reading
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*
*
*
*
*
*
* [http://www.heia.com.au/images/Journal9/JHEIA92-6.pdf Nutrition
Education - Making it work By Dr. Janet Reynolds ]
*
[http://homeeccohort2012.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/57342024/Vaines_ref_practicePI
PHE.pdf
People and Practice: International Issues for Home Economists by
Elanour Vaines, Doris Badir and Dianne Kieren ]
*
[http://homeeccohort2012.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/57342058/thomas_smith.pdf
Toward an Ideal of the Person Educated in Home Economics: An
Invitation to Dialogue by Jane Thomas and Gale Smith ]
*
[http://homeeccohort2012.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/58511298/Sustainable%20food%20
futures.pdf
Sustainable food futures: Lessons for home economics pedagogy and
practice by Martin Caraher and Janet Reynolds ]
*

External links
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;Societies and associations
* [http://www.ifhe.org International Federation for Home Economics
(IFHE)]
* [http://www.aafcs.org/ American Association of Family and Consumer
Sciences]
* [http://www.neafcs.org/ National Extension Association of Family and
Consumer Sciences]
* [http://bctf.ca/thesa/ Teachers of Home Economics Specialist
Association ]

;Resources
* [http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/homeEc/masterlabel.html "What Was
Home Economics?" web pages at the Cornell University library on the
history and influence of home economics]
* [http://www.csrees.usda.gov/familyscience.cfm USDA Cooperative State
Research, Education, and Extension Service]
* [http://hearth.library.cornell.edu/ Home Economics Archive:
Tradition, Research, History (HEARTH)]
* [http://www.familyconsumersciences.com Family Consumer Science
Lesson Plans]
*
[https://web.archive.org/web/20110429204901/http://www.doe.in.gov/octe/facs/NASA
FACS/index.html
National Standards for Family and Consumer Sciences Education (India)]
* [http://www.fcclainc.org/ Family, Career and Community Leaders of
America (FCCLA)]

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=========
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Original Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_economics