Editing Home economics (section)

==== Nineteenth century ====
[[File:Catharine Beecher.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.65|[[Catharine Beecher]], American educator]]
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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=the definition of home economics |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/home-economics |access-date=2019-03-19 |website=www.dictionary.com |archive-date=2018-07-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702150908/http://www.dictionary.com/browse/home-economics |url-status=live }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=IFHE Position Statement on Home Economics |url=https://www.ifhe.org/publications/ifhe-special-publications/ifhe-position-statement-on-home-economics/ |access-date=2019-03-19 |website=www.ifhe.org |language=de}}{{Dead link|date=August 2019|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> One of the first to champion the economics of running a home was [[Catherine Beecher]], sister to [[Harriet Beecher Stowe]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Biester |first=Charlotte E. |date=1952 |title=Catharine Beecher's Views of Home Economics |journal=History of Education Journal |volume=3 |issue=3 |pages=88–91 |issn=0162-8607 |jstor=3659182}}</ref>

Since the nineteenth century, schools have been incorporating home economics courses into their education programs. In its early years, home economics began with the goal of professionalizing domestic labor for women whilst also uplifting the idea of "women's work".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Danovich |first=Tove |date=June 14, 2018 |title=Despite A Revamped Focus On Real-Life Skills, 'Home Ec' Classes Fade Away |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/06/14/618329461/despite-a-revamped-focus-on-real-life-skills-home-ec-classes-fade-away |access-date=April 20, 2023 |website=NPR |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116152611/https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/06/14/618329461/despite-a-revamped-focus-on-real-life-skills-home-ec-classes-fade-away |url-status=live }}</ref> In the United States, the teaching of home economics courses in higher education greatly increased with the [[Morrill Land-Grant Acts|Morrill Act]] of 1862. Signed by [[Abraham Lincoln]], the Act 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.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Council |first1=National Research |url=https://www.nap.edu/read/4980/chapter/2 |title=Read "Colleges of Agriculture at the Land Grant Universities: A Profile" at NAP.edu |last2=Agriculture |first2=Board on |last3=System |first3=Committee on the Future of the Colleges of Agriculture in the Land Grant |year=1995 |isbn=978-0309052955 |doi=10.17226/4980 |access-date=2019-03-19 |archive-date=2019-04-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407101040/https://www.nap.edu/read/4980/chapter/2 |url-status=live }}</ref>

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.<ref name="plainshumanities.unl.edu">{{Cite web |title=Encyclopedia of the Great Plains {{!}} WOMEN IN HIGHER EDUCATION |url=http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.edu.040 |access-date=2019-03-19 |website=plainshumanities.unl.edu |archive-date=2019-10-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191021022918/http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.edu.040 |url-status=live }}</ref> 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 largely accessible to middle and upper class white women whose families could afford secondary schooling.<ref name="plainshumanities.unl.edu"/>

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.<ref name="aafcs">{{cite web |title=AAFCS Brand Story |url=http://www.aafcs.org/res/branding/AAFCS_Brand_Story.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130908184750/http://www.aafcs.org/res/branding/AAFCS_Brand_Story.pdf |archive-date=8 September 2013 |access-date=20 November 2012 |publisher=American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

The first book on home economics was ''Mrs. Welch's Cookbook'', published in 1884 at [[Iowa State University|Iowa State]] by [[Mary Beaumont Welch]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Sherr |first1=Lynn |url=https://archive.org/details/susanbanthonysle00sher/page/144/mode/2up?q=welch+ames |title=Susan B. Anthony Slept Here: A Guide to American Women's Landmarks |last2=Kazickas |first2=Jurate |authorlink= Jurate Kazickas|publisher=Times Books |year=1994 |isbn=0812922239 |location=New York |page=145}}</ref> Welch's classes on domestic economy were the first in the nation to give college credit on the subject.<ref>{{Cite web |title=All the Privileges and Honors: A Brief History of Women at Iowa State |url=https://www.isualum.org/show_module_fw2.aspx?sid=565&gid=1&control_id=8674&nologo=1&cvprint=1&page_id=6120&crid=0&viewas=user |access-date=2021-09-04 |website=Iowa State University Alumni}}</ref>