What Human Ecology and Family Sciences is

The subject once called Home Science is now called Human Ecology and Family Sciences. Each part of the new name tells you what it studies.

• Ecology is the study of the relationships between living organisms and their environment.
• Human Ecology studies human beings in relation to their physical, economic, social and psychological environment. Think of how a family's water supply, income, neighbours and stress levels all shape the way its members live.
• Family Sciences places each person within the family, the first and closest group they belong to, where children are cared for and grow into independent adults. The family is a key unit of society.

A short history. In India, Home Science brought together several fields: Foods and Nutrition, Clothing and Textiles, and Extension Education (taking knowledge out to communities). In 1932, Lady Irwin College in Delhi was set up to teach it at college level. It was conceived by Sarojini Naidu, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur and Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay of the All India Women's Conference, to promote women's education and help women play a fuller role at home and in society.

Why the new name? Over time, 'Home Science' came to be seen narrowly as cooking, laundry and child care, and therefore as a subject only for girls. In fact its content is much broader and very much of today's world. The new name, and the new content, make clear that it is meant for all students, boys and girls alike. Many teachers and experts in the field today are men.

Five fields make up the subject, and you will meet all of them in this book:

• Human Development: how people grow and change through life, with special attention to adolescence, the stage you are in now.
• Food and Nutrition: food, nutrients, health and diet-related problems.
• Fabric and Apparel: fibres, fabrics, clothing and design.
• Communication and Extension: how people share information, the media and communication technology.
• Resource Management: how we use time, money, energy and space wisely.

Careers. Because the subject draws on so many fields, it opens many paths:

• Food and Nutrition: dietitian, nutrition expert, food writer, chef or food-safety officer.
• Human Development: work in early childhood centres, counselling, or teaching young children.
• Fabric and Apparel: textile industry, fashion or footwear design, quality control.
• Resource Management: event management, hospitality and housekeeping, human resource management.
• Communication and Extension: media, community development and public-health communication.