Cover Image: The Secret History of Home Economics

The Secret History of Home Economics

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Fantastic book. Like so many subjects and activities that have been cut from schools (usually for budgetary reasons and/or lack of qualified people to teach them), home economics has been unfairly downplayed and underestimated. Home ec, as this book discusses, was originally intended to improve the lives of women and society as a whole by reducing "drudgery" through science. A revival of home economics classes and careers seems long overdue.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Was this review helpful?

This is a fascinating history of home economics, tracing its development and the many ways that the field helped shape society. Danielle Dreilinger highlights the many contributions of women of color to the field while also pointing out the racism rampant at every level of its development, and argues that we all still need home economics. Dreilinger argues that the Covid-19 pandemic reawakened interest in baking and sewing, as well as the need for household budgeting and repair, and that perhaps this is the perfect moment for a home economics revival.

Was this review helpful?

loved this book was eye opening . I’m a college graduate of Home Ec and didnt know this history of the course. I never would have guessed that the field of Home Ec was in part founded by the first female graduate of MIT and was not only grounded in hard science but was meant to reduce or eliminate household drudgery so that women could be freed up to do what they wanted to out in the world. Fascinating look of the history from the start tp modern women who shape the world. Lisa

Was this review helpful?

The Secret History of Home Economics by Danielle Dreilinger takes an in-depth look at this often misunderstood field. While many who hear home economics, myself previously included, think of poorly made cakes or the belittling of women into roles that limit them, that is not the true history of this field. From impacting nutrition, childhood development, war efforts, and the everyday American consumer, home economics has transformed our lives.

This movement not only revolutionized the science of better living, but also provided women with jobs as professors, engineers, chemists, and businesspeople. The field truly 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙 the impact of women, rather than keeping them in the kitchen. Many became academics and overall fierce fighters for social change (some even became POWs who saved fellow prisoners through their knowledge of nutrition). While racism was very prevalent within the movement, Dreilinger also shares the history of POC who broke down all the barriers placed before them.

I really enjoyed this read. While it was incredibly dense, it often read more like a textbook, I was fascinated to better understand this incredibly misunderstood field. As COVID sparked a recent "back-to-the-basics" moment where baking bread, planting a garden, and sewing essentials (hello masks 👋) was revived, this book felt like a timely commentary on a topic many, women especially, feel demeans rather than uplifts.

I recommend this book if you love a quality, and detailed, nonfiction read that is very informative, eye-opening, and encouraging. This is a book about women stepping into the fray to fight for a better future.

Was this review helpful?

I first noticed something was weird as an undergraduate looking for a place to study fashion design. Most majors had predictable names and departments. Chemistry was always in with the sciences. Writing majors went to the English Department. But fashion design could be almost anywhere, from the Fine Arts Department to the Business School. Occasionally, it would end up in departments with names like Human Ecology or Family and Consumer Sciences. These, I learned were the remains of old Home Economics departments. I’d never quite understood what was going on until I read The Secret History of Home Economics: How Trailblazing Women Harnessed the Power of Home and Changed the Way We Lived by Danielle Dreilinger

Disclaimer: I received an advanced digital copy of this book for free through NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own. This post also contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of these links I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. See my policies page for more.

A digital copy of the book The Secret History of Home Economics by Danielle Drelinger on a green background surounded by sewing and cooking supplies.
Home Economics traces the history of the field from its founding in the late 19th century through to its diminished state today. The book is organized more or less chronologically. This shows how the intersection of historical events and the people who worked in the field effected the discipline and perception of the field. This story is equally inspiring and infuriating. It also is occasionally bizarre. I’m not sure I’ll ever fully get over learning about practice babies.

While the field was founded with some promising progressive notions, I found many of the early years to be tainted by association with unsavory characters like Annie and Melvil Dewey. In addition to generally being the worst, they hobbled the field by excluding non-white participants. Most notable among these was Margaret Murray Washington, wife of Booker T. Washington and a powerhouse in her own right. Dreilinger doesn’t shy away from exposing the racism and segregation that permeated the field for far too long. At the same time, the author highlights and acknowledges contributions of women of color, which is very welcome in a book like this.

The relationship between corporations and home economists was also full of complexities. At times home economists were solidly on the side of the consumer, pushing for protections and transparency. However, a common career path was in business. In these jobs home economists were paid to educate consumers about new products and help corporations market them. While this may seem questionable today, some of the work home economists with corporations had real value. Promoting rural electrification by demonstrating electric appliances such as stoves was real, necessary work that home economists were well suited for.

The place of women in the workforce is also a prominent theme. Home Economics departments are, for some women, a backdoor into the hard sciences. Particularly during the 1950s, women who become home economists promote “traditional” homemaking culture while living as independent career women. Home Economics departments seemed to a separate world. One where women were able to do valuable work. However, being siloed from other disciplines seems to be one of the many factors in Home Economics decline.

In the final chapter, Dreilinger makes a case for how and why to revive the discipline of Home Economics. The author makes several arguments and suggestions for bringing the field into the modern era. The most persuasive in my opinion is that a modern Home Economics curriculum could be more than just learning skills. Ideally, it would also teach students to think critically about they choices they make as consumers and citizens. As a Home Ec student back in the 1990s, the sewing portion of my class involved using a sewing machine to make a simple pair of elastic-waist shorts. But what if that also was paired with a discussion about the environmental and humanitarian consequences of todays fashion production system?

Overall, I found this book a well researched and compelling read. It’s make a great case for the revitalization of Home Economics by providing a solid historical look at why the discipline existed in the first place. You can purchase a copy at Bookshop.org, Amazon.com, or wherever you buy books.

Was this review helpful?

Fascinating. This comprehensive history of the field of Home Economics is packed also with the stories of individual home economists -- many of whom I had never heard of before. Dreilinger's writing style is scholarly without being dry, and amusing without being snarky. She treats her subject (and subjects) with respect. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy for my review.

Was this review helpful?

In The Secret History of Home Economics, Danielle Dreilinger paints a fascinating picture of what we call Family and Consumer Science today but what used to be called Home Economics. While rooting for the return of home ec to our school curriculum and our daily lives, she doesn't pull the punches on what used to be a way for many women to get degrees and join the work force. The book has a lot of information packed in while still being relatively focused enough that you can follow a few story lines - though I did get lost a few times along the way. Learning about home economics through Dreilinger's lens provided some much needed perspective about the variety of contributions made by a variety of people in the subject's history. Though I did not always agree with the modern framing of certain historical actions taken by the books "characters" so to speak, I still enjoyed the read.

Was this review helpful?

Really enjoyed this book! I had no idea the history behind my content area. I will be recommending to other teachers!

Was this review helpful?

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, a fascinating and enlightening read.

I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.

Was this review helpful?

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.

Was this review helpful?

A terrific eye opening read about the world of home economics.Contrary to the view we have of these women as just behind the kitchen sink or in the classroom teaching ,I was fascinated by their stories their strength and determination.This is a deeply researched well written absorbing book that I will be recommending..Perfrct for classrooms or book club discussions.#netgalley #ww.nortonbooks.

Was this review helpful?

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 study

I 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.

Was this review helpful?

This was a fantastic read that did much to challenge the traditional interpretation of Home Economics as an inherently conservative field of study. The feminists presented here forged pathways for women in the working world, a surprising number in STEM fields. Dreilinger also does an excellent job highlighting the voices of marginalized women, particularly women of color, in her narrative. This particular focus challenged many of my preconceptions of Home Economics as a white dominated field. A fascinating history of an underappreciated and often overlooked discipline. Highly recommended.

Was this review helpful?