A Brief Purdue History of Home Economics

by Grant Barnett      Home economics, as defined by Merriam Webster, is “a subject or class that teaches skills (such as cooking or sewing) which are useful in the home.” Home economics has been liberating for women and  helped interject women into universities. Home economics curricula, however, have also been riddled with oppressive gendered expectations for the women who studied home economics. Purdue has been host to home economic education since… Read More