Beyond the Domestic Sphere: Home Economics and the Education of Women at Maryland State College

Abstract

My paper, Beyond the Domestic Sphere: Home Economics and the Education of Women at Maryland State College, encompasses an exploration of the history of women's education at what is now University of Maryland, College Park. I argue that the language surrounding women's education at Maryland affirmed the need for a scientific education for women while reinforcing stereotypical gender boundaries. I assess the similarities and differences between the women's Home Economics course curriculum and that of other traditional scientific disciplines, including engineering, agriculture, and more to recognize the true "science" required to earn a degree in domestic science.In addition, I draw connections between the history of co-education at Maryland and the passage of the Morrill and Smith-Lever Acts, which made public education possible and eventually brought the first few, privileged women students to Maryland.