The Evolution of Home Economics: Founders and Historical Context

These flashcards focus on key individuals, concepts, and historical developments in the field of home economics.

Ellen Swallow Richards

A pioneer in home economics who advocated for women's education and social reform, emphasizing the importance of home as a community.

Municipal housekeeping

A term coined to describe women's roles in improving community welfare using knowledge from domestic sciences.

Home economics

An academic discipline that focuses on household management, nutrition, textile science, and family economics.

Adelaide Hoodless

A Canadian advocate for home economics who founded the Women's Institute and emphasized domestic hygiene and education.

Wilbur Atwater

A chemist known for his early nutrition research, including the development of the Atwater values for calorie counts.

Cornell University

An institution where influential figures like Martha Van Rensselaer and Flora Rose established one of the first home economics programs.

Fat replacers

Substitutes used in food products to reduce fat content, notably introduced in the 1980s, leading to disastrous side effects.

Victory gardens

Gardens established during World War II to supplement food supplies and encourage self-sufficiency at home.

Betty Crocker

A fictional character created to market processed foods, representing the emerging commodification of home cooking.

Cooperative Extension Service

An outreach education program that provided practical research-based information to rural communities, founded by figures like Martha Van Rensselaer.