Through the years, the central focus of the family and consumer sciences profession (previously known as home economics) has changed from skills needed to operate an efficient home to knowledge required to become a professional in a specialized field. The home economics and family and consumer sciences curriculum evolved from training for work in the home to the study of the family and its internal and external relationships. Curriculum planners used current job market demand to develop curriculum in career-oriented specializations.

The formal home economics movement (later known as the field of family and consumer sciences) began in the mid-19th century as an ideal curriculum for women's study. It included the practical application of art and science to skills needed to properly maintain a home. Women ...