Home economics is sometimes called “life education” when it is part of a school’s curriculum. Home economics has mostly been about learning how to deal with the problems and challenges of homemaking. This is because most people’s lives used to revolve around the home and their family.
With a basic understanding of home economics, a person can make a household budget that works, plan and make healthy meals, choose fabric for curtains, and take care of a small child.
Home economics has become much more important in recent years. It now includes things that are important to both the country and the world.
Read also: What Are The Courses Under Home Economics?
Home economists of today might, for example, work on making foods for space flights, finding solutions to the nutritional problems of countries that aren’t as well off, or setting up national classifications for textiles.
Home economics covers a wide range of topics, such as food and nutrition, clothing and textiles, housing, home equipment, and home management, as well as family finances, child development, and family relationships.
Home economists often have to take classes in chemistry, physics, sociology, psychology, and design, all of which are related fields.
HOW MANY SUBJECTS ARE IN HOME ECONOMICS?
Here is the total number of subjects in home economics
- Management in living
- Food and nutrition
- General knowledge of arts
- Textile
- Economics and
- French
- Budgeting and Economics
- Health and Hygiene
- Biology
EDUCATION IN HOME ECONOMICS
At different levels of education, home economics classes are used for different things. Home economics is a subject taught in elementary and junior high schools. It teaches students how to take care of their homes and gives them useful information and skills.
In high school, students learn about all the different parts of home economics and the jobs that are related to them. Home economics students at community colleges either focus on getting technical training or on the first two years of getting ready for a professional career. Home Economics majors in college or university can get ready for a variety of jobs in the field.
Read also: Home Economics Courses in SHS With Job Opportunities
In high school, home economics classes often cover food and nutrition, clothing and textiles, child development, housing and interior design, family and consumer economics, and management. Often, individualized problem-solving lessons and techniques that focus on projects are used.
As part of a unit on interior design, for example, a student might help a community group redecorate its recreation room.
The Vocational Education Act of 1963 made it possible for more people to get a home economics education. It gave money from the federal government to programs in high schools, vocational schools, and community colleges that helped students get ready for jobs in fields related to home economics. People who got this kind of training could, for example, work in food service, help with child care, or design clothes.
In a college or school of home economics, students who want to become professional home economists usually major in a certain field, like dietetics or textile chemistry.
Students who want to teach home economics can get the background they need by majoring in home economics education. In some fields, home economists may need to do an internship or get a graduate degree.
PROFESSIONS IN HOME ECONOMICS
A student must choose a major after going to a college or school of home economics. This is an important choice. Based on this choice, the student will know what kind of home economics job they can do after they graduate.
Home economics majors at these colleges or schools usually study food and nutrition, art and design, housing and equipment, clothing, textiles, merchandising, family economics, home management, child development, family relations, and education. There are many different kinds of jobs in each of these fields.
DIETETICS AND NUTRITION
A home economist who studies food and nutrition has a lot of career options. Dietetics, nutrition, food service, and test-kitchen research are the most common jobs for home economists. For these jobs, you need to go to school and learn about the basics of food and cooking, how to cook a lot of food at once, how to run a business and related sciences like chemistry and bacteriology.
Dietitians come up with menus for hospitals, schools, restaurants, airlines, and other places that feed a lot of people. The hospital dietitian might work in therapeutic dietetics, putting together special diets with the help of the hospital’s medical staff.
The dietitian at the hospital might also teach classes for patients who need to learn about their special dietary needs and restrictions. Dietitians need a Bachelor of Science in home economics and a year of work experience at a restaurant or hospital that has been approved by the American Dietetic Association.
Dietitians are called nutritionists because they teach people what they should eat to stay healthy (see Food and nutrition). Nutritionists can work for public health organizations or for companies that make food or medicine.
A nutritionist at a food or drug company stays up to date on changes in nutrition and tells salespeople how the company’s products can meet nutritional needs.
Food service managers are in charge of feeding a lot of people. They might work for motels, hotels, or restaurants that are part of a chain.
They might also be in charge of school lunch programs or food service for a branch or division of the military. The food service manager usually has an assistant staff and is in charge of buying food and equipment and taking stock.
Home economists who do test-kitchen research may be in charge of making new food products or making ones that already exist better.
Home economists who work in test kitchens may also make and try out recipes and give advice on how to cook food. Magazines and newspapers, advertising and public relations firms, food processing companies, and federal government agencies all run test kitchens.
FIBERS AND CLOTHES
There are many jobs in home economics that have to do with clothes and textiles. If the clothing and textiles major also have a background in fine arts, they might be able to find work as a dress or fabric designer.
Clothing designers usually work for companies that make clothes or patterns, while textile designers usually work for places that make fabrics. (See also the clothing business and the garment business.)
With a background in economics or business organization, clothing and textiles major could join the sales team of a company that makes textiles, patterns, or sewing supplies like thread, zippers, trim, or yarn.
Other options include jobs in department stores or clothing stores, such as buyer, merchandise manager, or fashion coordinator.
Home economists who want to work in clothing, textiles, or fashion must know about textile chemistry, the history of fashion, pattern design, and other related topics. People also value a good sense of style and the ability to sell things.
HOUSING
Like the clothing and textile industries, the housing field has a lot of opportunities for home economists who are good at design or business. Interior designers help people decorate their homes and figure out how to use their living space and furniture in the best way. They also tell their clients what furniture and accessories are available and which ones are good deals.
Interior designers can work for themselves or for a company that specializes in architecture or interior design. Interior designers are also hired by retail stores, companies that make furniture and drapes, and trade groups. (Also check out the interior design.
Some people who study home economics become head housekeepers. They are in charge of places like hospitals, hotels, and dorms. They are in charge of keeping these places clean, safe, attractive, and in order. In order to do this, executive housekeepers manage a staff of assistants, make budgets and reports, order and receive supplies, and clean the rooms.
Home equipment specialists usually work for public utilities or for companies that make things like washing machines and dryers. They try to get people to know about the products their company sells and to like the company. To help people who use or want to buy household appliances with their questions, they need to know what equipment is available and how it works.
The home equipment specialist has been trained in household physics, food preparation, nutrition, large-scale cooking, cooking demonstrations, kitchen design, public speaking, and cooking for large groups. You also need to know the basics of advertising, salesmanship, business organization, and labor issues.
RESEARCH
There is research going on in every area of home economics. When doing research, a home economist might look at how the texture, tenderness, and juiciness of freeze-dried chicken change over time or how well fluorescent whiteners in laundry detergent work.
Research home economists can work for colleges and universities, private companies, independent research, and testing groups, or government agencies.
Home economists who do research for the U.S. Department of Agriculture work in fields like family economics, nutrition, and textiles. For research in home economics, you need to be able to work with accuracy, thoroughness, and creativity. Most people who do research in home economics have a Ph.D.
WORKING ON WELFARE AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Home economists from different backgrounds may do social work or welfare work for organizations that help people who can’t take care of themselves well enough. When money management, diet, or housekeeping standards need to be improved, these home economists can help social workers come up with ways to do so.
They may also help caseworkers by giving them standards and rules to use when judging different kinds of family problems.
The child welfare worker helps children who are having trouble, especially those who need to live away from their parents or have broken the law.
The child welfare worker helps these kids solve problems by looking at their family records, talking to them, going to their homes, and giving them information.
Home economics also has something to do with child development. Child development jobs usually involve working with groups of kids who go to daycare centers, nursery schools, community centers, Head Start programs, or kindergartens.
The preschool teacher may have to read stories, watch the kids while they play and express themselves creatively, and serve lunch.
Since preschools focus more on emotional and social development than academics, the teacher needs to make sure the kids get along well. A background in how children grow up or how families work together is a must (see child development).
TEACHING
The home economics teacher needs to know a lot about all aspects of home economics, such as family relationships and child development, interior design, household economics and management, clothing and textiles, and food and nutrition.
Science, humanities, and social science classes, as well as education classes and student teaching, are also required for people who want to become teachers.
In some states, a home economics teacher who is just starting out has a team of teachers who help him or her get certified.
Home economists who work for the Federal Extension Service also teach people about home economics. The programs are meant to let people all over the United States know about new information and research results. An extension home economist works in most of the counties in the country.
The land-grant colleges and many federal government departments are a constant source of information for these extension home economists.
People in the community can get this information in many different ways. The extension home economist plans programs for professionals, writes columns for newspapers and magazines, hosts radio and TV shows, and works with local extension clubs.
These home economists work on programs that teach people about nutrition, how to care for children and the elderly, how to manage their finances, how to build family strength, how to keep drunk drivers safe, and how to become better leaders in public policy. Extension programs were first designed for families in rural areas, but now they are also available in large cities.
The youth adviser is another type of extension home economist. This person works with the leaders of 4-H clubs and other groups for young people.
All people who work with children can get the latest information on child development from the youth adviser (see youth organization).
The people who work in consumer marketing also do work in extension. These people work for producers, retailers, and customers all at the same time. They often check the prices of food in stores. After looking at their data, they let people know, usually through the media, which foods are most available and the best deals.
Home economics can come from many different places for extension workers. Some have a general background in home economics, like a home economics teacher, while others have majored in a specific area of home economics.
COMMUNICATION
If a home economist has a lot of experience and a major in journalism, they may be able to find a job in communications. Home economists can work for newspapers and magazines, public relations and advertising firms, trade associations, and TV and radio stations.
There are usually sections in newspapers about things like food or home improvement. These sections are run by editors and writers who know a lot about food, clothing, fashion, and home furnishings.
Most magazines are more focused than newspapers, and many of them are more directly about homemaking. Home economists who work as editors need to be able to put their ideas in a logical order and write in a way that is clear and interesting. (Journals, magazines, and newspapers are also examples.)
Home economists can also find a variety of jobs at public relations and advertising firms. People with a background in home economics who work in public relations for public relations firms, trade groups, or manufacturers mostly tell the public good things about products.
Home economists who work in public relations also give news media articles, photos, videos, and other information about products. So that this information will be used, it needs to be shown in the most interesting way possible.
The jobs of home economists who work in advertising are similar to those of home economists who work in public relations, with one difference: the home economist in advertising works for a client who has already bought space or time in the media to talk about his or her product (see advertising).
The food stylist is a home economist who works in the field of communications. He or she makes food for photos and videos that may be used in ads or articles. The food has to look good and be able to stand up to the heat of the camera lights.
Manufacturers or producers in the industry give money to a trade association. A trade association’s goal is to get the word out about the industry and its products. Most food and textile groups, like the National Dairy Council and the National Cotton Council, hire home economists to do work like advertising, teaching, and public relations.
FAQ
list 10 subjects related to home economics
Below are the 10 subjects related to home economics you should know
- Food Science and Nutrition
- Textiles and Clothing
- Interior Design and Home Decoration
- Family and Consumer Sciences
- Human Development and Family Studies
- Housing and Home Management
- Personal Finance and Consumer Economics
- Food Preparation and Culinary Arts
- Parenting and Child Development
- Environmental Design and Sustainability
These above subjects encompass various aspects of Home Economics, including nutrition, textiles, home management, family dynamics, personal finance, and more.
