Chapter 1: Home Economics: History, Concepts, Principles and Philosophy

Introduction
Home Economics (HE) is a profession and topic of study that deals with home and community
economics and management. Consumer education, institutional management, interior design, home
furnishing, cleaning, handicrafts, sewing, clothes and textiles, cooking, nutrition, food preservation,
cleanliness, child development, and family relationships are all themes covered in home economics. It
prepares pupils for careers in the home or in the workplace.
This Chapter will provide you a study of Home Economics as one of the areas in the technical-
vocational track, specifically in Junior and Senior High, as a prospective teacher. For those who did not
take the course in high school, this course will provide a comprehensive introduction of HE, allowing
you to grasp the value it contributes to future homemakers' lives.
This chapter covers the concepts, principles, and philosophy of home economics, as well as its
importance in people's lives, the major changes that home economics has brought about, and the
various occupations or job prospects it provides.
In general, this Chapter will assist you in becoming an effective and efficient HE teacher who
possesses the necessary competencies to share and transfer to students.
The Evolution of Home Economics
Catherine Beecher (sister of Harriet Beecher Stowe) is credited as being the first to advocate
for the economics of running a household. In the mid-nineteenth century, the two sisters were both
leaders who spoke about domestic science and supported education, particularly for women.
After the American Revolution, home economics education became popular in the United
States. The Morrill Act of 1862 established the first land grant colleges and universities, which laid the
groundwork for the rise of Home Economics education. This Act required farm wives to be educated in
how to run their households while their husbands studied agricultural methods and processes. Lowa,
Kansas, Nebraska, Illinois, Minnesota, and Michigan all have programs for women. Several women
graduated from these colleges several years before the Lake Placid Conferences, which sparked the
home economics movement.
The first Lake Placid Conference took place in 1889, although there was little
documentation of the many activities.
The first woman to launch the Home Economics movement was Ellen Swallow Richards. She was also
the first woman to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the first woman to teach at the
same institution. During the 1893 World's Fair, she was successful in obtaining her own area, the
Rumford Kitchen. She declined to take part in the cooking demonstration because she considered that
nutrition was not just a woman's job, but rather something that everyone should know about.
During the 1893 World's Fair, she was successful in obtaining her own area, the Rumford
Kitchen. She declined to take part in the cooking demonstration because she considered that nutrition
was not just a woman's job, but rather something that everyone should know about.
Ellen Richards and her peers spent more than a decade researching the most recent
developments in this field. Their purpose was to establish an educational and scientific association as a
vital part of formalizing the profession.
In January 1909, the American Home Economics Association was founded. It wasn't until
1993 that a group of modern home economists met in Scottsdale, Arizona to discuss how home
economics could be taught in the new millennium. The American Home Economics Association was
renamed the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences during the Scottsdale
Conference.
Many colleges and universities utilized various names, including Human Sciences, Human
Ecology, Consumer and Family Sciences, and many others, long before the Scottsdale Conferences.
The failure of the move to have only one name to grant recognition to the profession was due to the
employment of different names.
Family and Consumer Sciences is another name for Home Economics. It is taught in
secondary schools, colleges and universities, vocational institutions, and adult education centers, with
female and male students. Home Economics classes in the 1800s were designed to prepare young
women for domestic tasks. The United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom had the first classes,
followed by Latin America, Asia, and Africa. International organizations such as the United Nations
have been involved in the establishment of home economics programs all over the world.
The phrase "home economics" was coined in the twentieth century in response to an increase in
the number of literate citizens and the increased availability of printed materials, both of which aided in
the consumption of literature in the house. The Morrill Act of 1862 provided land-grant to states that
were open to women and demanded the development of scientific ideas and practices as well as
modernized activities related with home economics, such as cooking, laundry, sewing, housekeeping,
sick care, and sanitation. Domestic science courses were introduced in the nineteenth century. Activists
lobbied for the teaching of Home Economics across the state at the Lake Placid Conferences in 1899.
The American Home Economics Association was founded by conference attendees to lobby for
funding for research and education in the field of home economics.
Because of the Smith-Hughes Act, which established the importance of occupational preparation in
home economics, financing was made available in 1917. Women's roles in the home and in society
were raised as a result of this Act. It was underlined that studying home economics should equip
students to effectively perform their responsibilities in their particular houses and to manage household
affairs efficiently. Home economics became popular in the early 1900s as a result of urbanization,
industrialization, and immigration.
The Smith-Hughes Act's financing for vocational education was reduced by the Vocational
Education Act of 1963. Only funding for Home Economics education that led to productive
employment was to be provided. With changing societal expectations for women at home and at work
in the 1960s and 1970s, home economics came under pressure. Many schools discontinued these
programs, and some educators in this field were chastised for their lack of understanding of current
feminism. Home economics, on the other hand, legitimately generated opportunities for women and
had a significant impact on American society, providing women with occupational and economic
prospects while also teaching boys and men about household skills.
Catherine Beecher was a pioneer in advocating for the economics of running a household. She
argued for the value of domestic life and pushed for scientific concepts to be applied to childbearing,
cooking, and housework.
Harriet Beecher Stowe, an American abolitionist and author best known for her work Uncle
Tom's Cabin 6, was also a member of the Beecher family. Catherine and Harriet were pioneers in the
field of home science in mid-nineteenth-century North America. They were from a pious family that
placed a high priority on education, particularly for women.
The Morrill Act of 1862 accelerated the advancement of domestic science, as land grant
colleges aimed to educate farm wives in household management as their husbands were learning
agricultural methods and procedures.
The land-grant schools flourished in the later decades of the nineteenth century. created
courses of instruction in what was referred to as "domestic science," along with a few private colleges.
Richards gathered a group of contemporaries late in the nineteenth century to debate the
essence of domestic science and how the aspects of this discipline will ultimately improve the quality
of life for many individuals and families. In 1911, Oekology, or the science of correct living, or
Euthenics, the science of controllable environment, was established in Toronto as a home economics
class. In 1899, the name "Home Economics" was established as the official term.
Beginning in 1899, Richard arranged a series of yearly gatherings known as the Lake Placid
Conferences with the help of Melvin Dewey and other educators and activists. These educators worked
relentlessly to bring the discipline, which would later become known as home economics, to the status
of a respectable profession.
The American Home Economics Association was founded by conference attendees
(AHEA). This organization was successful in persuading the federal and state governments to fund
home economics research and education. The rapid expansion of educational programs in 1908 was
due to the inclusion of adult education work through agricultural extension services.
During the Scottsdale Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1993, the American Home Economics
Association was renamed the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.
History of Home Economics in the Philippines
Dr. Helena Zoila Tirona Benitez, who created the Philippine Home Economics Association in
1948, is credited with popularizing home economics in the Philippines. This was a national non
government organization made up of individuals, institutions, and organizations whose goal was to
improve Philippine Home Economics education.
The evolution of Home Economics can be tracked through the following important shifts or
stages:
1901 - Hundreds of American teachers, known as Thomasites, were brought in to ensure that
American teaching practices were followed. In the Philippines, practical instruction in housekeeping
and home skills was designated a mandatory part of girls' education in 1901.
1913- Elvessa Ann Stewardt, a University of Nebraska graduate, worked as a Home
Economics teacher in the Philippines.
1920 – Home economics activities included cooking, sewing, and housekeeping, and girls in
grades 5 to 7 were required to dedicate 80 minutes per day to them. Sanitation, home nursing, infant
care, food selection, embroidery, and lacemaking are among skills that can be learned.
1929- Elvessa Ann Stewart was appointed as the Superintendent of Home Economics at the
Manila Bureau of Education.
1941 - Before graduating, every secondary girl was expected to do at least one year of OT
home economics. Nutrition and child care were two subjects that were required. Teachers of
Intermediate Home Economics had to be graduates of the Philippine Normal School or an equivalent
institution, which needed three years of post-secondary education.
Domestic training had blossomed in Filipino schools for the past 20 years, beginning with
sewing, cooking, and housekeeping.
Home Economics is still taught in many places today, including secondary schools, colleges
and universities, as well as research and outreach through cooperative extension projects. It has
received a lot of attention in the K-12 curriculum.
Societal Changes and Development Brought about by Home Economics
Curriculum modifications and development affect Home Economics education at all
levels, from elementary to adult and professional, as well as all components of the program, including
prevocational, home and family life, occupational, pre-professional, and teacher education. Every
essential profession and career that serves human life and well-being requires comprehensive and
detailed training. As a result, home management and nutrition science are critical. Home Economics
education, it is clear, has many chances to establish a visionary approach to education for sustainable
development and increasing the quality of life of all people.
Obesity has surpassed diabetes as the most frequent dietary problem in the developed world. It
is a significant risk factor for the onset of degenerative and chronic diseases, as well as one of the main
causes of death in the Western world. Poor eating habits and a poor diet are well known contributors to
disease. Careful, precise preparation is essential, and Home Economics will play an important role in
preventing such a development. Home Economics can allow for experimentation and the development
of critical judgment when it comes to food and meals as a creative subject. This will encourage pupils
to apply their talents outside of the classroom and later in life. Home Economics as a practical topic
enables students to cook and acquire a sense of pleasure in their work as well as good working habits,
as well as to be conscious consumers, allowing them to take responsibility for food and meals in both
leisure and work settings. Teaching the subject will help people understand what it means to live a
healthy lifestyle.
The Role of Home Economics Education in National Economy
"Home economics education continues to be an important subject area that plays a critical role
in nation building," said Dr. Michelle Pinnock (2015), Director of the Ministry of Education, Youth
and Information's Western Regional Office. Speaking at the 22nd Biennial Conference of the
Caribbean Association of Home Economists Inc. at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, Dr Pinnock
said "the subject area provides the knowledge, skills, and attitude needed for healthy family life."
She emphasized how home economics education contributes significantly to family life and
stability. "To name a few, home economics exposes our students to the fundamental principles of
budgeting and financial management, home and resource management, health and nutrition," she
added, noting that significant progress has been made "in educating our people about preparing foods
within budget and eating a balanced diet."
Home economics education, according to Pinnock, has expanded to encompass topics such as
home ecology, human and consumer sciences, family resource management, apparel and textiles,
home management, food safety, family life, food and nutrition.
She pointed out that the conference's topic, "Future-Proofing Families for 21st Century
Living," is timely and suggests a larger understanding of the need to equip people to care for their
families in the face of modern problems. "It calls on us as innovators to share techniques
and best practices to reduce the effects of...limited budgets, rising costs of living, scarcity of
commodities, to name a few," she added. "Home economists, you have the answer for successful living
in the future, so please take the lead." "Continue to celebrate, broadcast, and campaign for home
economics to assume its rightful place among subjects as we prepare for a successful future," she
added.
What is Home Economics
Home Economics is a branch of economics that focuses on enhancing family life and increasing
individual output in the social economy. It combines information from the arts and sciences to help
students develop their manipulative, organizational, and social abilities (James, 2003).
Home Economics is a large subject of study and service that encompasses all aspects of family
life. Home Economics, according to Lemchi (2001), is a skill-oriented topic capable of providing
individuals with basic skills and knowledge that will enable them to be self-sufficient and hence
contribute to the individuals, families, and nation's social and economic development. Designing
clothes, clothing retailers, home services representative, food specialist, home economist in
journalism, nutrition and dietetics, family and child development, catering advertising, magazines and
public relations writing, television, publications, business and industry are some of the careers
available to a Home Economics graduate.
Food and nutrition, clothes and textiles, family life and human development, household and
institutional resource management, and community health are all covered by home economics teaching
and research. This is a course that will play a larger part in poverty reduction, a global phenomenon
that is hurting several countries.
When a nation's people and natural resources are not sufficiently developed, poverty becomes
the norm, and the economic scene becomes engulfed in a tangle of issues, leaving policymakers,
practitioners, and the general public befuddled. Ajekamo (Ajekamo, 2008).
Poverty reduction has become the most challenging task confronting emerging countries, and
Home Economics must assist global families (Arogundade, Adebisi & Ogunro, 2011). To alleviate
poverty, home economists must recognize that they must be producers of goods and services, as well
as producers of marketable information and attitudes..
Areas of Home Economics in the 19th Century
The subject of Home Economics has been revised multiple times in the Basic Education
Curriculum. Cooking, child development, education, and community awareness were all part of House
Economics in the nineteenth century, as were home administration and design, sewing and textiles,
budgeting and economics, and health and cleanliness. A review of the current curriculum will enable
you to determine whether these topics are still covered in the K-12 Home Economics curriculum.
Cooking
Cooking is one of the earliest disciplines in Home Economics because food
preparation is so important in homemaking. Early home economics programs addressed food
safety and preservation as well as teaching women how to cook a healthy meal. They also
learned how to properly prepare a table and host meals for bigger parties, not just for their
personal families. This aspect of classical economics can still be found in culinary schools,
culinary programs for family and consumer sciences students, and nutrition degrees for both
men and women.
Child Development
Students in Home Economics were taught how to raise children in addition to cooking
and nutrition. Learning about the stages of child development and how to respond
appropriately to children at each level was part of this. Child development is still taught to
students studying family and consumer sciences, and it has become so important that it is now
taught as a separate major in many countries.
Education and Community Awareness
Because women were regarded as their children's first instructors, they taught them
basic reading and math abilities before they attended school. As a result, it was critical for
them to figure out how to best teach these skills. Home Economics education originally
included moral and ethical principles as well as education and community awareness. It has
grown in importance to the point where elementary education has become its own field of
study — one that is still dominated by women.
Home Management and Design
Early Home Economics students learnt design principles in order to better decorate
and care for their houses. Cleaning and organization were also studied in this field, which was
important because homemakers were expected to keep the house clean and ordered. Individuals
who studied family and consumer sciences now use their abilities to work as designers,
decorators, organizing gurus, and real estate staging professionals in the design industry.
Sewing and Textiles
Sewing was another of the first skills taught to Home Economics students. Because
many women stitched not just their own clothes but also clothes for their children, sewing was
an important element of lesson plans. This ability also came in help when garments needed to
be repaired. An understanding of textiles was helpful because patterns necessitate specific
types of materials. As family and consumer science graduates enter and succeed in the fashion
design and merchandising professions, this classic subject of Home Economics is still relevant
today.
Budgeting and Economics
Home Economics students studied how to budget in addition to cooking, child rearing,
home planning, and sewing. Women were supposed to know how to spend wisely and make
the most judicious use of available finances because they conducted all or most of the
household shopping. This classic aspect of home economics is still significant in family and
consumer science programs today, as students learn how to effectively budget, balance, and
invest their earnings.
Health and Hygiene
Students who studied Home Economics taught how to properly care for sick family
members, including sanitation, keeping the sick family member fed and quarantined, and at-
home treatments for common ailments, in addition to caring for the home. This material is now
available to students in various family and consumer science departments.
Areas of Home Economics in the K- 12 Curriculum
Home Economics has the following specializations in the Technical-Vocational track
of the K-12 curriculum: 1) Housekeeping 2) Caregiving 3) Beauty Care 4) Cookery 5) Bread
and Pastry 6) Dressmaking 7) Handicraft. In the next Chapters, these topics will be discussed
separately.