Home Economics and the Women’s Pages
I enjoyed this book by Carolyn M. Goldstein about this history of home economics but was disappointed there wasn’t more about the home economists who became recipe testers and food editors for the women’s pages of newspapers. It was rather common for female students to major in journalism and minor in home economics (or the other way around) as training for the women’s pages.
I did enjoy the background material about home economics – especially the final chapter about the changing of the field (or lack of) in the 1960s and 1970s that led to its down fall. It was very close to what led to the end of the women’s pages of newspapers.
My great find in the book was a reference to a speech that feminist Robin Morgan gave to a group of home economists. Lance and I will be going to Duke University this year to go through Morgan’s papers thanks to a Mary Lily Research Grant. Now we have something new to look for.
