Home economics was the main focus of a woman’s education in the past.
Throughout the 20th century, young girls learned how to run their own household, including how to do laundry, cook, sew, and take care of the sick.
Young women who were expected to get married would be set up to take care of their own families. There would be no frantic calls to mom asking how to cook a meal or set the washing machine.
The principles were important to daily living.
Boys were not required to take these lessons.
Women and men are more accepted to look after the home and family.
Home economics classes are dying out, and fewer schools are giving their children the chance to learn the basic skills of adulthood.
Many people would like to see home ec reintroduced to schools so that students can still learn the things they can’t learn in mathematics and history.
In today’s busy world, parents work long hours and high school kids come home to an empty house. They are expected to do the basics, like washing and laundry.
How many of them are taught how to do this at school?
Home economics can teach kids to be more independent.
A recent study found that more than half of high school graduates in the US enroll in college the following year.
Many kids are having to fend for themselves for the first time when they move to a dorm room.
If they are taught how to do them at school, they are more likely to do things like cook healthy meals, do the laundry, and maintain a clean living environment.
Home ec came under fire for being sexist.
It is accepted that women aren’t destined for a future of cooking, cleaning, and raising children unless they want to.
Home economics can still be taught to both genders. Learning how to cook, wash, and do first aid is just the beginning.
Home economics could teach us how to change a tire, file taxes, or change a lightbulb. We might never learn how to do these things because we don’t know-how.
Having a dedicated space to learn this as kids makes a lot of sense, yet subjects of little use to our future selves are still prioritized in most schools.
Kids can still learn a lot from their parents if all else fails.
Taking time to teach kids basic life skills will help them transition to adulthood with confidence.
What do you think? Should schools have dropped home economics as a subject, or are children missing out on a valuable aspect of their education? Let us know in the comments.