History

The Secret History of Home Economics: How Trailblazing Women Harnessed the Power of Home and Changed the Way We Live

The Secret History of Home Economics: How Trailblazing Women Harnessed the Power of Home and Changed the Way We Live

  • Downloads：4068
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-04-23 16:31:08
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Danielle Dreilinger
  • ISBN：1324004495
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Andréa ，

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss。

Alexis ，

A fascinating look at the history of home economics and its role in shaping a growing and changing country。 I was unaware of just what a role furthering domestic skills played in feminism and， often， in keeping families afloat during America’s toughest times。 By combining history and narrative， Dreilinger illustrated how women used home economics as an entry point to STEM fields， higher education and economic independence。 While time and time again， this history shows flaws in terms of racism， x A fascinating look at the history of home economics and its role in shaping a growing and changing country。 I was unaware of just what a role furthering domestic skills played in feminism and， often， in keeping families afloat during America’s toughest times。 By combining history and narrative， Dreilinger illustrated how women used home economics as an entry point to STEM fields， higher education and economic independence。 While time and time again， this history shows flaws in terms of racism， xenophobia and socioeconomic elitism， seeing how the field evolved （or perhaps didn't） with the times was very interesting。This book carefully evaluates the ways that “women’s work” has saved a nation time and time again while being brutally honest about the not so savory aspects of the field。 A very informative and engaging read。 。。。more

Nancy ，

The Secret History of Home Economics promised to be interesting， but I had no idea how radical this history was， ot how pervasive its impact on society and politics。 Danielle Drelinger's history is full of surprises。 I was in junior high， girls were required to take a semester of Home Economics classes。 In cooking， I learned how to use displacement to accurately measure shortening。 In sewing， we used the Bishop method to make an apron and an A-line skirt。 I admit， I thought that Home Ec was pre The Secret History of Home Economics promised to be interesting， but I had no idea how radical this history was， ot how pervasive its impact on society and politics。 Danielle Drelinger's history is full of surprises。 I was in junior high， girls were required to take a semester of Home Economics classes。 In cooking， I learned how to use displacement to accurately measure shortening。 In sewing， we used the Bishop method to make an apron and an A-line skirt。 I admit， I thought that Home Ec was pretty lame and meant for future housewives。 And yet。。。I taught myself to cook from scratch and to sew， how to organic garden and bake bread， and how to follow a pattern and to make quilts。 It turns out that there was a reason I felt that way。 In the 1960s when I had those classes， the concept of home economics had been diminished from it's roots when scientists and feminists founded home economics studies。 I was unaware of the impact on society the home economics had during wartime or in promoting social and advancing racial equity。 And I certainly did not know that home economics also enforced a middle class， American， white life style on immigrants， people of color， and the rural poor。As society changed， the use of home economics reflected the times。 Drelinger introduces us to a series of intelligent women who were barred from male-dominated careers。 Their used their skills in science to study nutrition to help the war effort， support government control to enforce pure foods and temperance， and they created the first nutritional guidelines。They worked with business to promote new electronic appliances and created recipes for food companies。 They wrote pamphlets to support food conservation and the remaking of clothes during the war。On the dark side， some supported Eugenics and immigrants traditional heritage was ignored as they were pressured to assimilate。Overall， and enlightening and fascinating read。I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley。 My review is fair and unbiased。 。。。more

Brandon Westlake ，

Such an interesting book- one that I think contributes a lot to understanding women's roles in the private sphere throughout the 20th century。 The idea of turning domestic work into a science isn't one that I think is ever thought about but makes perfect sense。 This is written well， also。 There is a good mix of analytical history but also great story telling about individuals who have shaped this science and academic studyI teach at an all-girls school and will definitely incorporate some of thi Such an interesting book- one that I think contributes a lot to understanding women's roles in the private sphere throughout the 20th century。 The idea of turning domestic work into a science isn't one that I think is ever thought about but makes perfect sense。 This is written well， also。 There is a good mix of analytical history but also great story telling about individuals who have shaped this science and academic studyI teach at an all-girls school and will definitely incorporate some of this information into my teaching。 It is a great tool to connect to other larger themes in history and to make it more relevant for them。 。。。more

Ms。 Yingling ，

E ARC provided by Edelweiss PlusEven before Seneca Falls in 1848， there was Catharine Beecher's A Treatise on Domestic Economy。 In 1841， this was the start of a long road to industrialize and professionalize the art of homemaking。 Women were just starting to be allowed to go to colleges， although this was almost always a struggle。 Graduating from high school in 1862， Ellen Swallow wanted more education， and got into the newly created Vassar college， where she studied under astronomer Maria Mitch E ARC provided by Edelweiss PlusEven before Seneca Falls in 1848， there was Catharine Beecher's A Treatise on Domestic Economy。 In 1841， this was the start of a long road to industrialize and professionalize the art of homemaking。 Women were just starting to be allowed to go to colleges， although this was almost always a struggle。 Graduating from high school in 1862， Ellen Swallow wanted more education， and got into the newly created Vassar college， where she studied under astronomer Maria Mitchell。 Later， she went to MIT and became the first female instructor there。 Born at the time Swallow graduated from high school， Margaret Murray， a Black women from the south， went to Fisk College and got a job at Tuskegee， where she met， and later married， Booker T。 Washington。 This was just a start to the home economics movement。 It gained a lot of momentum at the Lake Placid Conference in 1899， where Anna Dewey （wife of the disgraced Melvil of library fame） and Ellen Richards gathered leaders in the field and started making plans for the modern study of home economics， where science would improve home life， and therefore society。 This exquisitely well-researched book covers the field of home economics from its beginnings， through its floruit in the early 1900s， its degradation at the hands of men after WWII when women were forced out of the work force， and into the present day。 It discusses the Nation at Risk Report of April， 1983 （tragically， right before I graduated from high school！）， that said that the US was behind and needed to stop teaching silly things like phys ed and home ec， which lead right into the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act that is responsible for the US educational systems insistence on testing。 Within these different eras of the science of home ec， Dreilinger introduces us to a wide range of pioneering women who changed the way work was done in the home。 From the team of Flora Rose and Martha Van Rensselaer studying food science at Cornell to the omnipresent Black scientist and activist Flemmie Pansy Kittrell to the famous Lillian Moller Gilbreth， we see these women highlighted against the times in which they lived。 These women come from diverse backgrounds; one of the women of whom I had never heard was Fabiola Cabeza de Baca Gilbert， who started as an extension agent in New Mexico in the Hispano community and went on to be an influential writer and activist。 The book addresses， through these women， the troubled history of the treatment of women of color by women who were trying to further the cause of women。 Given how difficult it is to find information on some of these groups， this inclusion is even more impressive。 It's sad that home economics hasn't， at least in the last fifty years， been given its due。 Reading this book almost a year into the Covid-19 pandemic， I felt that given a chance， home economics could save the world。 Helping families make the most of their resources， both human and financial， is what home economics is about。 If university departments still existed in this field， even if it survived under the aegis of "family and consumer sciences"， wouldn't there be scientists who could figure out how to provide child care， early education， and conscious consumerism alongside nutritious meals that would also save the environment？ Sadly， men got involved。 The post-war climate persuaded women to go back to the home， and while more women majored in the field， fewer graduated in it， and jobs went unfilled。 Because it was largely a women's field， budgets were cut。 Home ec became something that was seen as just "sewing and stirring"， and not as a field that taught crucial techniques for managing family life。 This is an excellent book on women's history， and one that should be in every high school and middle school library。 It's a bit dense， and I was saddened that there weren't pictures of these long uncelebrated figures， but this is a book that could launch a thousand National History Day projects。 I want a middle grade biography on Flemmie Kittrell， for starters！ As society starts to appreciate historical figures of color and other marginalized people， I hope that we see more books celebrating women who changed the way people live their daily lives。I loved that this book ended with a solid plan for bringing home ec back into schools。 It is an excellent idea， and it would help our society to teach all students crucial skills and make them realize that taking care of a home is a worthy accomplishment for everyone， and encompasses， even though it includes， much more than being able to thread a needle， wash the floors， and put a nutritious meal on the table。 。。。more