This paper utilizes knowledge gained from work on future issues related to families, the work of futurists on social trends and technological development, and recent studies in home economics to draw conclusions regarding what people will need to know in the 1980s and beyond to be intelligent consumers and effective homemakers. The first of six major sections included in the paper examines trends, research, and projections for the future in the various aspects of family life. Section 2 focuses on major concerns in the area of child care and development, including alternative child care arrangements, the effectiveness of various types of early childhood development programs, the effects of narcissism on families, and the role of parents vis-a-vis the experts in matters of child care. Other sections included in the paper focus on consumer education, home management, housing and home furnishings, and nutrition and food/textiles and clothing. In the concluding section, the social context of consumer and homemaking education is considered. (CT)