German Society for Home Economics

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hauswirtschaft (dgh) — the German Society for Home Economics — is a non-profit professional association founded in 1951 in Bad Godesberg, Germany. It is recognized as a gemeinnütziger Verein (charitable registered association) and serves as a national umbrella and networking body for home economics (Hauswirtschaft) in research, teaching, practice, and policy. Its secretariat is based in Bonn, and it is registered as an interest group with the German Bundestag since 1996. The dgh brings together individual members and corporate members from science, education, industry, welfare organizations, and consumer advocacy. Its membership includes more than 200 individual members and over 50 organizations and companies, ranging from professional associations and universities to companies such as Miele & Cie. KG, the German Caritas Association, the German Rural Women's Association, the German Savings Banks Association, and the Federation of German Consumer Organisations. The association works through specialist committees (Fachausschüsse) and advisory boards (Beiräte) on topics such as sustainability in care, household technology, household and housing, home economics service enterprises, structural change of households, and lifelong learning. The dgh is the German section of the International Federation for Home Economics (IFHE) and is a member of the Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Hauswirtschaft (BAG-HW). It publishes the scientific journal Hauswirtschaft und Wissenschaft (HuW), the only German-language scientific journal covering the entire field of home economics and household science. Since 1998 the dgh has been the sole publisher of HuW, which appears exclusively online since 2018. The association also maintains the digital lexicon "dgh for future" for sustainable home economics, organizes annual conferences, and awards prizes such as the Nachwuchspreis (young talent award) and the Wissenschaftspreis (science award). The dgh works in an application-oriented manner, transferring knowledge from research into practice and bringing practical questions into research, education, and counseling. It participates in ministry-initiated projects, committees, and expert circles, and contributes to vocational training reform, DIN standards, and guidelines in home economics. Its target groups include academics with home economics or ecotrophology profiles, home economics managers in care facilities, technical developers, teachers, and professionals in debt and family counseling.

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hauswirtschaft (dgh) was founded in 1951 in Bad Godesberg, Germany. In its early years it was shaped by a small circle of scientists whose main focus was home economics research, teaching, and practice. In the mid-1960s it increasingly became a forum where both individuals active or interested in home economics and organizations from various fields came together. During these years the dgh's activities were determined by themes and objectives introduced by the respective chairpersons and directly from practice. At the time of its founding, rural home economics was strongly represented, as were individuals and institutions from research and teaching. Over time, the food processing industry, the household appliance industry, and the energy sector joined, as did non-profit organizations such as welfare associations and smaller associations — each with interests focused on private households, outpatient care structures, and professional care institutions such as nursing homes or hospitals. Media representatives also became increasingly involved in the dgh. Today, alongside more than 200 individual members, more than 50 organizations and companies are members of the dgh; these include professional associations, state working groups, and universities, as well as diverse corporate members such as Anna Haag Haus e. V., the German Caritas Association (DCV), the German Rural Women's Association (dlv), the German Savings Banks and Giro Association, the HKI Industrial Association for House, Heating and Kitchen Technology, Miele & Cie. KG, the standing committee for home economics and consumer topics in the kfd (Catholic Women's Community of Germany), the Association for Women's Interests e. V., and the Federation of German Consumer Organisations (vzbv). Since its founding, the dgh has maintained close relations with today's Federal Centre for Nutrition (BZfE) — formerly the Federal Research Institute for Home Economics (BfH) — based in Bonn. From 1952 to 1997 both organizations jointly published the journal "Hauswirtschaft und Wissenschaft (HuW)". Since 1998 the dgh has acted as its sole publisher. HuW is the only German-language scientific journal for the entire field of home economics and household science. It publishes peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts and specialist books. The journal has existed as an organ of the dgh since 1953; from 2010 to 2017 it appeared four times a year in printed form, and since 2018 it has been published exclusively online. In 1996 the dgh was registered as an interest group with the German Bundestag. The association is recognized as a non-profit organization. Its six-member board shapes the framework of its work and is in regular exchange with the extended board, which includes the chairpersons of the specialist committees and advisory boards. The office is staffed by a permanently employed ecotrophologist. The dgh works in an application-oriented manner: knowledge from research is carried into practice, and current questions from practice and care reality flow into research, education, and counseling. Members meet in specialist committees and advisory boards, where thematic priorities are agreed and worked on. Topics include sustainability in care, handling money and reference budgets as a basis for counseling work, implementing "normal everyday life" in social institutions, and describing gender-differentiating inequality phenomena in household work. Results are published and used in fulfilling care and support tasks, in education and counseling work, and for political statements. Conferences are regularly held for exchange and networking. The dgh develops "dgh for future - the digital lexicon of sustainable home economics", which collects sustainability tips for professional home economics. The dgh itself is also a contractor for research assignments. Members contribute their expertise on behalf of the dgh to reorganization processes of vocational training in home economics, research assignments, or new editions of specialist books, guidelines, and DIN standards. The dgh's target groups include both people from science and professionals from practice. Accordingly, it addresses professors from universities and colleges with an ecotrophological or household science profile as well as all those professionally concerned with questions of everyday care — from home economics management in nursing homes to technical developers or teachers of home economics content, to people working in debt or family counseling and education. In addition to networking its own members from different organizations and companies, the dgh seeks cooperation with other associations and organizations, including professional associations and members of the SAHGE professions (social work, home economics / household-related services, health, education), consumer policy, and commercial enterprises such as in the field of household technology.

• 2026

  Annual conference (dgh-Jahrestagung 2026) and Nachwuchspreis 2026 announced.

• 2024

  Annual conference held in Fulda.

• 2023

  Annual conference held in Münster, Westphalia.

• 2021

  70th anniversary conference (Jubiläumstagung 2021).

• 2018

  HuW appears exclusively online.

• 2017

  Last year of printed HuW issues.

• 2010

  HuW begins appearing four times a year in printed form.

• 1998

  dgh becomes sole publisher of HuW.

• 1997

  Joint publication of HuW with the BfH ends.

• 1996

  Registered as an interest group with the German Bundestag.

• 1953

  Hauswirtschaft und Wissenschaft (HuW) exists as an organ of the dgh.

• 1952

  Begins joint publication of the journal Hauswirtschaft und Wissenschaft (HuW) with the Federal Research Institute for Home Economics (BfH).

• 1951

  Founded in Bad Godesberg, Germany.

Non-profit professional association and scientific network for home economics in Germany, bridging research, practice, education, and policy.

• Hauswirtschaft und Wissenschaft (HuW) journal

  The only German-language scientific journal for the entire field of home economics and household science; peer-reviewed; published exclusively online since 2018.

• dgh for future digital lexicon

  A digital lexicon of sustainable home economics collecting sustainability tips for professional home economics.

• Fachausschüsse (specialist committees)

  Committees on counseling for household and consumption, household technology, household and housing, home economics service enterprises, and structural change of households.

• Beiräte (advisory boards)

  Advisory boards on sustainability and lifelong learning in home economics.

• Positions papers and statements

  Policy positions and statements published by the dgh.

1. 1dgh: Startseitedghev.de
2. 2dgh: Über unsdghev.de
3. 3Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hauswirtschaftwikidata.org
4. 4Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hauswirtschaftde.wikipedia.org