"Home Economics stands for the ideal home life for today unhampered by the traditions of the past and the utilization of all the resources of modern science to improve home life." -Ellen Swallow Richards

For many years, home economics was a topic taken by teenage girls to prepare for their future lives as working mothers and wives; if that's the path they desired. However, recently in the past few decades or so, the gender roles that were so strictly observed have begun to change.

The stark shift of interest in Home Economics is no longer what it used to be and, recently, the government has proposed that GCSE Home Economics, along with various other GCSEs which have also been branded too ‘soft’, should be scrapped. It's a commonly known fact that since 2016 the GCSE Home Economics course has been discontinued for multiple reasons such as the fact that it greatly overlaps with GCSE Food Technology, a comparatively new GCSE subject.

By glancing at the specifications, it is clear that there are certain similarities between the two but that Home Economics focuses more on Nutrition and Food Technology than on food production.

So, without further delay, in today's article, we shall examine the fundamentals of Home Economics, whether it should have been discontinued, the employability of the course, and whether or not it's a valuable academic discipline.

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What is the Definition of Home Economics?

Not just a topic of interest for girls, Home Economics is an academic discipline that has been featured in schools for centuries. But, for those who aren't familiar with the terms and definitions, how is it described? Home Economics may have alternative names based on the country of origin where it is studied. Also, known as domestic science or family and consumer sciences, Home Economics is a subject that involves a variety of useful subtopics or disciplines such as the following:

  • How to manage personal and family finances,
  • Consumer issues,
  • Housing and interior design,
  • Nutritional facts, 
  • Basic to advanced food preparation, 
  • Learning more about textiles, sewing, and basic apparel.

Home Economics is the subject at school that prepare students for the more practical areas of life. Topics such as maths and history educated and exercise the mind but they aren't teaching pupils how they can best spend their money, create a budget, or learn how to make a delightful lemon tart.

Home Economics is for students who want to learn how to run a household effectively. Both men and women can benefit from the usefulness of home economics. But, what are the benefits of Home Economics? Let's take a look at the following subheading.

What are the Pros of Studying Home Economics?

home economics topics
Home Economics isn't solely about baking cookies. Valuable life lessons for home life are learned. (Source: Unsplash)

Do you think that Home Economics is a topic that still should be studied during the GCSEs? If so, you're not wrong since there are noteworthy advantages to the Home Economics topic in its entirety. Such as? Let's take a look at the list below:

  • Teaches Responsibility at Home: Home Economics doesn't only teach useful skills but it additionally assists students to build responsibility in the home environment. How's that? Pupils see how much work and effort it takes to effectively run a household which in turn, hopefully, inspires them to take on more responsibility in their household and appreciate the hard work of their parents.
  • Valuable Life Skills are Learned: after graduation, many school students joke about another day going by when they didn't have to use algebra or trigonometry. Oftentimes, the subject matter of maths or science classes is never utilised again. However, that's not the case with Home Economics. Skills such as cooking, baking, sewing, and creating a budget are all learned; things that people need to know and use frequently.
  • Teaches Healthy Habits: in many countries, the way Home Economics is taught is extremely conducive to the learning of good habits and traits. For instance, students learn how to make healthy recipes that are delicious and wholesome for the body. Also, certain aspects of food technology and management instruct students on how to store food items correctly and avoid waste.

With so many worthwhile advantages, while reading this you might be asking yourself, why was Home Economics GCSE discontinued? That's a very valid question that will slowly be answered in the following subheadings.

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Should Home Economics Have Been Discontinued?

a release from maths
The GCSE Home Economics topic was a more relaxed topic that was like a breath of fresh air after studying subjects such as maths. (Source: Unsplash)

GCSE Home Economics is a very popular subject and has received many entries over the past few years. So it could be argued that axing Home Economics does a disservice to students. The concerns about the overlapping of Home Economics and Food Technology do appear logical. But, let's get real, does narrowing down GCSE choices ever actually benefit the education system? The more the better. Variety is the spice of life and it will keep students intrigued with their learning experience. After all, GCSEs are compulsory and there are a wide variety of students who take them. Surely the more choice and flexibility GCSEs can offer students; the better chance there is of them catering for the individual needs, capabilities and desires of young people.

So, should the Home Economics GCSE have been axed by exam boards? It appears that the answer is no. 

Indeed, Arabella Weir from The Independent has expressed the concern that getting rid of ‘soft’ GCSEs such as Home Economics will put some pupils off learning. In an article posted in June of 2014, she pointed out that for many less academic students, these “less educationally rigorous” subjects provide realistic goals for them to aspire to.

The fact that Home Economics GCSE is very popular shows that pupils have been finding it an enjoyable, worthwhile qualification to pursue. And is it the government’s place to assume they know what’s best for young people? The education system is supposed to serve young students the best way it can. Therefore, if Home Economics is popular among students then should it be removed from the curriculum?

While there were valid reasons for keeping the Home Economics GCSE, what about future employability for students who take this course? Let's find out in the following subheading.

What About Employability?

baking some food
With the current job market, employers are desperate for workers with any type f professional skills. (Source: Unsplash)

When it comes down to it, it could be claimed that the Home Economics GCSE is not practical enough to be significantly useful for young people who aspire to work in any industry that Home Ec teaches such as cooking, sewing, food service, accounting, etc.

One could argue the Home Economics GCSE is more about teaching life skills than practical work abilities that will benefit students with employability in the future. But this criticism is based on the assumption that GCSEs are merely about employment and not preparing young people for life in general. And with the problems of obesity and other nutritional problems in the UK, the emphasis on health and nutrition within Home Economics GCSE may be more relevant and vital than ever.

Also, in 2023, with so many places looking for employees, the life topics taught during Home Economics will help you to be useful in many types of jobs.

What Happens Next?

Of course, questioning the status quo and updating the educational system is usually good practice to ensure that students are reaching their potential and to prevent the National Education System from being stale and stagnant. However, narrowing down interesting GCSE options for young people seems backwards rather than progressive, especially considering GCSEs are compulsory for all pupils in the United Kingdom.

The bottom line is that although GCSE Home Economics has been axed and it's been replaced by GCSE Food Technology, here's to hoping that in the following months or years, it makes a swift return back to the curriculums of exam boards.

 

 

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Brentyn

Avid movie-goer, reader, skier and language learner. Passionate about life, food and travelling.