After World War II, the educational structure and curricula approved in 1936 were still in effect. Within these, home economics was a cornerstone, and a traditional idea of the woman’s role in the family, society and work was reinforced. The National Conference for Female Vocational Education, promoted in 1948 by the Directorate General for Technical Education of the Ministry of Public Education, revealed the continuity of the fascist approach and the stereotypes still widely diffused among the Italian ruling classes during the years of the reconstruction.
In the first two decades of the Italian Republic, women’s technical and vocational training was also a focus of consideration and action for women’s associations, such as Unione Donne in Italia (UDI) and Centro Italiano Femminile (CIF). During the years of the economic miracle (1958–1963), there was a renewed discussion on female vocational education, closely linked to the broader debate on women’s employment. In 1959, a large cross-sector national conference dedicated to the “vocational preparation of women” was organized, promoted by the Committee of Women’s Associations for Equal Pay and the Società Umanitaria of Milano, both of which participated.
The 8th July 1956, n. 782 Law changed the Institutes of Higher Education for Women’s Teacher Training in Women’s Technical Institutes, still keeping a gender-differentiated educational approach. The legislation specified that these institutes had the « aim to prepare for technical activities fitting for women » which included teachings of home economics and feminine work (Art. 2).
This structure remained unchanged until 1962, when the Reform of Middle School (Law n. 1859) replace this organisation with a uniformed compulsory educational career for everyone aged 11 to 14, guaranteeing equal access to high schools.