The University of Otago's Home Science Extension Service, 1929-1954

Abstract

The Home Science Extension Service (HSES) of the Otago University was established in 1929. The Service intended to remedy a lack in the educational facilities available for rural women. The HSES developed from the example of the rural educational work in the United States. The founders hoped that home science instruction could reduce many of the hardships and problems of rural domestic life. They wanted to improve health standards through dietary advice and educating women about cleanliness. They believed instruction about efficient homemaking techniques could reduce the toil of rural women. They also wanted to provide a source of enjoyment, by offering leisure activities and mental stimulation. The extension of home science teaching into the community needs to be seen in the wider context of two international movements, adult education and home science. New Zealand adult education largely developed from the British adult education system, while the American model of home economics inspired New Zealand's tradition of home science. The HSES fused these international themes in a New Zealand experiment into the possibilities for rural adult education. […] This investigation covers the founding of the HSES and its first twenty-five years of operation, from 1929 to 1954. The period ends in 1954 partly because this confines the study to the time before feminist movements began to openly challenge the belief that a woman's proper role was to be a homemaker. It is appropriate to study an organisation which helped women with homemaking during a period when many believed that this was to be their destiny. The twenty-five year period also encompasses three phases in the HSES's development: the 'Carnegie period'; the 'war years'; and the 'adult education era'. The changes within the HSES during these years provide insights into wider developments in New Zealand society. [extract from Introduction]