HISTORY OF HOME ECONOMICS

1841: The Treatise on Domestic Economy

for the use of Young Ladies at Home 1872: Public School Act
This occurred in British Columbia a year after the
This was a book published by province entered confederation. The Public School Act
Catherine Beecher. It was one of the first allowed schools to be funded by provincial revenues and
books educating about home economics helped to establish school districts. The goal of this Act was to
and was called the first complete guide to permit every child to gain knowledge to become a useful and
housekeeping in America (A Treatise on intelligent citizen (Education in Early British Columbia, n.d.)
Domestic Economy, n.d.). While this doesn’t relate directly to home
economics, the creation of school districts and a platform for
Catherine Beecher was one of the education to occur opened up the doors for the opportunity
earliest advocates for home economics to establish home economics in schools.
education. Her book helped give
standardized procedures to women in how
to conduct the home. This was just the 1893: Rumford Kitchen
beginning, a turning point, in recognizing The World’s Fair took place in
the importance of educating young girls Chicago and Ellen Swallow Richards was
and women about the home. Catherine Beecher invited to cook within the Women’s
building but she was adamant that her
work was meant for men and women
The building that and thus created the Rumford Kitchen
1896 – 1941: Known as “Weathering the Storm” become the Rumford (Rumford Kitchen and the World’s Fair
(Dezwart, p. 12, 1991) 1893, n.d.). It was here that Ellen
Swallow Richards made the first
It was called weathering the storm attempts to educate people on scientific
because home economics is trying to expand and principles underlying nutrition.
meeting barriers to overcome at every step along
the way.

1903: Home Economics in BC & the Macdonald Institute 1899 – 1909: Lake Placid Conferences
1|History of Home Economics Timelin These were a series of ten conferences
The Macdonald Institute (MINS) was co-founded between 1899-1909, where Home Economics
by Adelaide Hoodless and Sir William Macdonruction of emerged as a discipline (History of Home
women in the fields of manual training and Economcs, n.d.). It was here that the leaders and
advocates in
 Participants at the first Lake Placid Conference. Annie Dewey, Maria Daniell, Ellen Swallow Richards

1910: Founding of the American Home Economics Association

The American Home Economics Association (AHEA)
was founded in 1909, and had this name until it was later
changed in 1993 to American Association of Family and
Consumer Sciences (History of Home Economics, n.d.). Ellen
Swallow Richards was elected the first president of the AHEA
and held that position until she retired in 1910 (American
Home Economics Association, n.d.).
In 1926 the Betty Lamp was made the symbol for the
AHEA because it meant to make better, much like the AHEA’s
goal to help advocate and promote consumer sciences and
Betty Lamp from the German for "besser" which translates to "make better"
education (About Us, n.d.).

The Macdonald Institute

American Association of Home Economics symbol

VV
1911: Manitoba Home Economics Association
1914-1918: World War One
Founded in 1911 with the assistance of many home
As battle commenced across Europe, life for women changed economics, the most prominent being A.B. Juniper, who was the
2 | H i s tdrastically.
o r y o f Not
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e in director of MAC (Manitoba Agricultural College) (Taylor, 1989). The
the homes, but many women also began taking jobs to fill the Manitoba Association of Home Economics Association (MAHE) met to
roles of men who went to battle. Women also helped the war discuss issues and social concerns like food laws (Organizations, n.d.).
by donating blood and buying war bonds. Their objectives were to promote the family, community and a standard
of home economics professionalism (Organizations, n.d.).
 Edith Rowles Simpson helped to found the Saskatchewan Home Economics Association

1921: Compulsory school attendance was raise

df).

1939: Canadian Home Economics

Association
The Canadian Home
Economics Association (CHEA) was
founded in 1939. Jessie McLenaghen
was made the first president of CHEA
(We are tomorrows past, 1989). It’s
goal was to continue to advocate for Jessie McLenaghen (1956) - first president of CHEA Even a School for the blind helps to knit items to send to the men in battle.
home economics education across
Canada, and to have closer
cooperation between the various
Katherine Middleton (1906- 1987) co-founder of CHEA
branches, making for a unified home
economics (We are tomorrows past,
1989).

1939-1945: World War Two

During World War 2 (WW2)
women went back to work filling the roles
of men, much like WW1. They continued to
work factories, as nurses, sew uniforms,
3|History of Home Economics Timelin cook food, and fill any necessary role.
Throughout the war home economics
teachers continued to teach domestic skills
and have students help with the war aid.
 Rosie the Riveter - cultural icon of women working during WW2

Canadian women sewing military uniforms during WW2

The 1940's: Child studies, human relationships and development become

more a part of Home Economics (Peterat, 1995). This shows the growing
trend of Home Economics responding to society’s needs. It is not limited
to sewing and cooking. It is taking a stronger role in development of the
person as a whole.

1940: Ruth Binnie became the first supervisor of home economics for
Nova Scotia
She practiced what she advocated for, bringing refuge children
from Europe to Canada to be fostered and have a better opportunity. Well As the inspector of
she was well intentioned, it remains controversial if this caused more Home Economics
trauma to the children or if their safety was more important.
Education, teacher
She encouraged teachers to work to develop the whole child as
opposed to focussing on the skills of the subject Binnie wrote extensively education and course
on how to engage children in different ways at different developmental quality were improved
stages. She emphasized that the school was part of the community not a all over Novia Scotia (De
separate entity (Binnie, 1954).
Adults concerned about youth developed ‘clubs’ that emphasized Zwart, 1999).
the learning of skills through hands on experience such as the 4-H clubs;
which had (and still has) the motto “learn to do by doing”. Children aged
5- 21 learn to care for animals, grow food and fix small engines.

1951: School o Home Economics at UBC 1948: 4 Year Home Economics Degree
Established under the faculty of Arts and Science. The MacDonald Institute (mentioned in
“Pressure to establish a Home Economics course at the University of British Columbia 1903) offers a 4 year degree program in Home
began as early as 1923. By the mid-1920s the Provincial Parent- Teacher Federation Economics (Canadian Encyclopedia, 2006). The first
mounted a campaign amongst B.C. women to establish a degree course at UBC. The students graduated in 1952 and by the mid-50’s
organization initiated a fund to endow a chair and by 1927 it had reached $11,000.
The money came in small donations from across the province and public demand for a Guelph’s MacDonald Institute was the known as the
program continued to accelerate. In response, the University instituted a Home premier home economics school in North America.
Economics Degree Course in 1931, but deep cuts in University funding the following
year resulted in the temporary suspension of the course. The Provincial Parent-
Teachers Federation established a permanent committee in 1933 to oversee the use
of the development fund.
 1950: Childhood and Society

Erik Erikson published his book Childhood and

Society, in which he introduced his theory on the stages of
psycho-social development and the concept of an identity
crisis.

Group photograph of Home Economics Club executive 19

1960-1970: The Pill

1955: Magaret McCready With the introduction of the birth control pill in the early ‘60’s women gained more control of their lives
Margaret McCready addresses the issue of educating men and
boys in home economics in a review of the MacDonald Institute (Peterat &
De Zwart, 1995).
She promotes a democratic family model where both adults are
knowledgeable about how to raise a healthy family, share responsibilities
and have a happy home. This was the initial view, that boys should partake
in Home Economies courses so that they would appreciate the hard work
that the women in their lives contributed to the household (Peterat,
1995).

1968: Changing Mission of Home

Economics

5|History of Home Economics Timelin

The publication of the Changing Mission of Home Economics. This publication is
significant because after a thorough study the results showed that more attention and
more money needed to be directed to the
 First oral contraceptive pills.

1971: Robin Morgan attacks American Home Economics Association

Self-proclaimed radical feminist Robin Morgan verbally attacks those assembled at the American Home Economics Association (AHEA) Convention for perpetuating traditional roles of women (East, 1980). She stated:
“You do have immense power, psychological and economic, because every young woman in our culture at one time or another passes through your tutelage. And very frequently that is the final icing on the cake, the nail in the coffi
Women were divided. Being a feminist is at odds with supporting home economics education. During this transitional women sought a new identity that became more that a housewife; as Peggy Lee immortalized in her song I am W

1975: British Columbia Home Economics Association

The British Columbia Home Economist
Association was formed in 1975. Still functioning today
as Teachers of Home Economics Specialty Association
1982: Inclusion (THESA), it works to provide support, professional
Social education implementation of development to promoting its areas of studies. “Our
“inclusion” teachers were classes don’t just focus on cooking and sewing, but
challenged with how to provide for seek to explore deeper global and environmental
such a diversity of learners issues, nutrition, biology, chemistry, psychology,
including FASD, ADHD, Autism and economics, and many other topics” (Teachers of Home
the Economics is seen as a subject. Economics).

In 1977, it affiliated with the CHEA.

 2006: BCTF Teacher Shortage

The alert noted that there was a shortage of

Home Economics teachers and that there were
full-time positions that were impossible to fill.
This shortage of teachers is showing the
importance of Home Economics and that Home
Economics class numbers are on the rise.

This was confirmed by the BC Public School

Employers Association (BCPSEA) report that
indicated that there was not a shortage of
teachers in general. There had been a
temporary surge in retirement as the average
age of teachers peaked in 2004-2005. As stated
in the report the average age of teachers was
expected to decline in the near future (Is there a
teacher shortage, 2016).

6|History of Home Economics Timelin