Stuff You Should Know What We Lost When We Lost Home Ec
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Dec 30, 2025 Home economics goes beyond baking and sewing; it was rooted in feminist and scientific movements that empowered women and improved household economics. The decline of home ec classes has had surprising consequences, linking rising obesity and student debt to the lack of life skills education. The hosts explore how home ec shaped American food culture and discuss its rebranding to Family and Consumer Sciences, highlighting the ongoing impacts of fewer practical life-skill classes in today's world.
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Home Ec Was A Scientific Feminist Movement
- Home economics began as a feminist-driven scientific movement to make household work efficient and economically significant.
- It created career paths and a route for women into science and applied research.
Ellen Richards' Lab Opened Doors
- Ellen Swallow Richards used chemistry training to found sanitary chemistry labs and pushed women into applied science roles.
- Her labs tested water and air quality and laid foundations for consumer and environmental protection.
Household Work As Economic Study
- Home economics reframed household work as part of the economy by studying consumption as well as production.
- The term 'home economics' deliberately emphasized household management's economic role (oikonomia).
