Home economics contribution to UNESCO’s new social contract for education

Abstract

In September 2024, the United Nations held a Summit of the Future: Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow. In this context, UNESCO is interested in the role of governance in forging a new social contract for education to replace the neoliberal, capitalistic current contract. This conceptual paper explores the potential role of home economics in the governance process inherent in creating this new social contract for education. With its focus on the family as a social institution, home economics has a unique opportunity to socialize individuals and families to become active change agents who can influence governance leading to a social contract for education predicated on education being a human right for individuals and a common good for the collective. In their proposed governance role, home economists can help families appreciate that they are a social institution, view themselves as part of a governance flotilla, learn the critical science perspective, learn participatory action skills, value a futures literacy and an entrepreneurial attitude, and draw on the human ecosystem perspective to garner the power of the interdependent collective.