The Day of the Girl
girls’ lives, providing an opportunity for them to show leadership and
reach their full potential."
There is significant data that shows the impact women make in reducing poverty in their area, creating community, their ability to take out loans for businesses and pay the loans back and more. My guess is that the UN is interested in thinking about girls at a global level more than here at home in the US. I understand that but each of us should also be looking in our own back yard.
Take Your Daughter to Work Day was established by Gloria Steinem in 1993 to address self esteem in girls encouraging them to see the many opportunites that lay ahead for them. The importance of that still exists today. Many women are told that they can do anything they want but the reality is once they graduate college many are surprised to see the gender issues that seem to arise. There is room at every level for women and women should know that.
What can we do to support women feel empowered to build businesses, families, communities and their own personal success (which could just be feeling fantastic about who they are). As women we can support each other at every turn from helping think through a hiring decision to sharing the best website to buy groceries. If possible, invest in women led companies and buy products from women-led businesses. If you have daughters make them stand up for what they believe in and who they are instead of slinking to the back of the classroom or telling their boss they have a doctors appointment instead of a sporting event for their kid.
Until we all stand up for the respect that women deserve for their ideas, their businesses, their leadership and just being a woman then there will continue to be gender issues in every area of this country. Also women must feel bold and empowered in their decision making and just as competent and deserving as their male counterparts. So today I celebrate the Day of the Girl but want to think about it in regards to how I personally can make my own impact on girl power.
Comments (Archived):
Love your words and sentiment!
That many women are told that they can do anything only to be surprised when they get to the workplace and are confronted by gender issues…this really resonated with me. Colleges and grad schools should be speaking about this more, and teaching practical skills that train women to be more assertive, etc. have you seen Malala yousafzai? She was on the daily show and many other new programs. What an incredible role model for young girls. I found it interesting when she noted that her fathe was her source of inspiration bc he always stood up for girls education. I really believe women need to be mentored by other women, but I think theres something so critical about receiving that strength and encouragement from a father or male role model as well. Both men an women need to sttt getting on this train for real change to happen.
agree
or telling their boss they have a doctors appointment instead of a sporting event for their kid. I don’t think this is really a women’s issue it’s more or less something that someone has to say to avoid the other party being judgmental.For example, as an entrepreneur I can’t get out of going to any undesirable family function like my wife can because she is a physician.It’s an automatic “get out of jail free” card.People don’t take what I do as seriously because they think that a) I work for myself so I can do what I want when I want and b) she works doing something “more important” and certainly can’t get off. (Which she can if she wants to.)My personal feeling is that if people are going to be judgmental it’s ok to tell a little white lie in certain circumstances.For myself I normally don’t though I just say “fu”.But that’s because I can.If I worked for someone else I probably wouldn’t tell them I am taking off the afternoon to fly my model helicopter because the wind is calm and the weather is nice. But then again I don’t do that as it is now and I can.I had a guy who worked for me at one time who played golf. It always bothered me when he would take off Wednesday afternoon to play golf.That doesn’t make him wrong and me right. It just means I was raised differently and the idea of playing in the afternoon a game of golf is distonic to me.To be 100% honest if my daughter asked me if she should tell her boss that she is taking off to watch her kids (when she has them she’s only in college and has no kids that I know of) I would tell her not to say that if possible.
If you are doing your job well there should be trust among employers and employees that you can do what you need to do without being frowned upon.