Throwback: The Hidden History of Home Ec

About this episode

This episode explores the rich history of home economics and its impact on women's empowerment and American culture.

When most people think of home economics, they imagine women baking muffins and caring for practice babies. But in this throwback episode, we’re learning that the field was much more than just “stitching and stirring.” It was an empowering way for women to gain respect and recognition. Journalist and author Danielle Dreilinger joins V for a look back at the history of home economics and how it shaped American culture. We’ll hear about the personal lives of home economics women who decided to either stay at home or join the workforce. Plus, what role HBCUs and science universities like MIT played in creating this field, and how unsung economists of color helped push the movement forward. Follow Danielle on Twitter at @djdreilinger. Keep up with V on TikTok @underthedesknews and on Twitter @VitusSpehar. And stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy…

People in this episode

Host: V Spehar

Guest: Danielle Dreilinger

Topics covered

• home economics
• women's empowerment
• American culture
• history
• economists of color
• education

Keywords

• home economics
• women's history
• Danielle Dreilinger
• HBCUs
• MIT
• economists of color
• American culture

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Lemonada Media, MIT, HBCUs

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