The Business of Being a Housewife: A Manual to Promote Household Efficiency and Economy

In 1921, as America hurtled toward modernity, one writer made a radical proposition: the housewife is not a servant but a business manager. Leona A. Malek's manual argues that feeding a family requires the same analytical rigor as running a small enterprise. She dissects the mathematics of meat purchasing, showing readers how live animal costs translate into consumer prices, and champions the emerging consumer advocacy movement that encouraged women to demand quality and transparency from producers. This is a document of early feminist economics, hidden in the guise of domestic advice. It captures a pivotal moment when American housewives began recognizing their collective power in the marketplace.