1500 Expected At Home Economics Conference

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31412, 4 July 1967, Page 3

1500 Expected At Home Economics Conference

(BU

RUTH ELLIOT)

Women from many countries have sent applications to Britain to attend the eleventh international congress on home economics in Bristol in July, 1968.

Some 1500 home economists are expected to attend, some as delegates of member organisations, some as individuals. Appropriately, the theme of the congress will be “home economics in the service of international co-operation.” The sphere of home economics has greatly expanded since 1908, when the first international congress on the subject discussed the training of teachers. Today, it extends well beyond domestic housecraft, and embraces the whole field of making the most of the world’s natural resources in the face of a rising world population.

V, Even the wealthy nations much to learn about the science of nutrition, and the development and use of lab-our-saving devices which will give women greater freedom to work productively outside the home. The developing countries have even more to gain from the speeding-up of the acceptance of machinery and other aids to domestic comfort, general hygiene and individual happiness. Good teachers are essential for this; and appropriate training schemes for them are still of the first importance everywhere.

Nowadays, a home economist is a highly-skilled professional; an expert in technical subjects such as electrical engineering, dietetics and nutrition, as well as textile

technology and medical hygiene. She may literally be based on a home or some kind of community - living establishment, such as a school, college or hotel. But she is just as likely to be working .as a teacher; or in an industrial

firm catering for home appliances, food or other consumer products; in government ser- ' vice; or for a newspaper or magazine. She can speak with profes- ; sional authority about home i management and the house, wifely arts, but her skills go

beyond those. Home economists are efficient, but .far-from-typical housewives.

The members of the 20 organisations which belong to the British Federation for Education in Home Economics work in many different fields. Some are teachers and organisers of domestic science courses at all levels, up to and including university standard.

Some are in the supply industries: electricity, gas or solid fuel. Some are dietitians, lecturers and demonstrators. Many of their colleagues from other parts of the world—especially from the developing countries—have already spent some time, during their training, in Britain. When the last International Congress of Home Economists was held in Paris in 1963, delegates attended from 46 different countries. Large contingents came from France, Britain, Southern Ireland, West Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Scandinavia. Nigeria (with 12) and Japan (with 19) sent impressively big delegations. More predictable were the sizeable delegations from the United States (229) and Canada (136). Fortunately, three official languages (English, French and German) were found to be an adequate common denominator.

Britain, France, the United States and Canada have agreed to limit their delegations to make more places available to others at Bristol.