home economics

noun

1. the art and science of home management.
2. a college curriculum usually including studies in nutrition, the purchase, preparation, and service of food, interior design, clothing and textiles, child development, family relationships, and household economics.

home economics

noun

1. functioning as singular or plural the study of diet, budgeting, child care, textiles, and other subjects concerned with running a home

Derived Forms

• home economist, noun

Other Words From

• home economist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of home economics¹

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900

Example Sentences

In 1955, Young America Films, an educational and instructional video production company, released a nine-minute short simply titled, “Why Study Home Economics?”

From Salon

Janice says, “Well, I have to fill one science requirement and English, and I want to take home economics…”

From Salon

This was at a time when home economics was taught in nearly every high school in the country, though largely only to girls.

From Salon

A few decades later, home economics courses became required for both male and female students, and then, in 1994, the American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences recommended the name of the class be officially changed to "family and consumer sciences" as a way to more accurately reflect how its subject matter had developed through time.

From Salon

According to the Craft Industry Alliance, by 2012 only 3.5 million students were enrolled in home economics classes nationwide, a decrease of 38% over the prior decade.

From Salon