ABSTRACT
Home economics and its multiple content areas are understood and emphasised in different contexts in various ways. This chapter focusses on the contextual understanding of gender in home economics education as it is perceived by university teacher students at the University of Helsinki, Finland, and the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. It presents gender equality from the perspective of creating equal empowerment and enabling conditions. Gender has been an integral part of the development of the home economics field throughout its 120-year history. In basic education, the main objective of home economics education is to develop pupils' skills in cooperation, information acquisition and the practical work necessary to manage daily living. The gender positions present in the home and society at large influence the practices of home economics education in school. Home economics education is, and should be, closely linked to pupils' home culture and able to respond to present societal needs and challenges.
