How home ec could save a generation

High schoolers could use some lessons on personal finance and nutrition

Home ec, 1964
(Image credit: (Fred Morley/Fox Photos/Getty Images))

At many middle and high schools across the U.S., home economics — now known as Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) — has all but disappeared from the curriculum. In 2006, only three states required students to take some kind of FCS class in junior high or high school, and the classes, which used to last a full year, are often just nine weeks long, said Ruth Graham in a recent Boston Globe op-ed.

It's easy to see why. What started as a serious, scientific subject is now often considered something between a waste of time and a kitschy throwback to a simpler era. Budget restrictions and changes in consumer habits have devalued cooking and housework skills, and the fact that girls now have the same career goals and aspirations as boys makes the traditionally girl-dominated subject seem almost offensively outdated.

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Carmel Lobello is the business editor at TheWeek.com. Previously, she was an editor at DeathandTaxesMag.com.