The Domestic Economy and the feminine contribution in Modern Architecture

Abstract

The home economics course began in women's schools in the mid-19th century, when girls started having more access to education. This article was the result of a master's work on the demands of the Escola Profissional Feminina de São Paulo in its first years of existence. From an analysis of the curriculum of this school and other case studies, it was possible to verify that the evolution of courses like this one, taught specifically for women, due to the link to the home associated with the gender, improved or derived in several other courses and professions. Some women, whether they are journalists, teachers or housewives, have written books and articles on the subject that have provided subsidies for the maturing of the domestic economy as a science. One of the contributions was to architecture and the study of the rational use of space, which was the focus of modernist architects, to whom there is evidence that they provided consultancy. As connoisseurs of work in the domestic environment, these women began to observe and rethink the ideal arrangement of furniture and equipment both for kitchens and other environments in the home. They demonstrated through scientific evidence and Taylorist concepts, how much waste of time caused by a poorly resolved project could affect their daily lives and the well-being of the family, the working husband and, consequently, the country's economy.