By Nancy Barber, Mom.me
Teaching Boys and Girls Alike
The boys of the world are encouraged to believe that the sky is the limit when it comes to job opportunities for them. That philosophy needs to be translated to the girls of the world as well. Men taking their daughters to the office on Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day on April 25 is a small step in the right direction.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Being treated with respect in the workplace should not be an expectation; it should be a reality. Daughters witnessing their fathers receiving such respect will teach them at a young age to expect the same when they begin their own careers.
This Is All The World Has to Offer
Job possibilities are endless, and it’s hard to make a choice with limited options. Showing our daughters the variety of ways in which they can work is enlightening. Maybe they hate the job that Dad does, and that’s OK. Exposure to any and all forms of work at a young age can help them to make informed decisions when they become adults.
Dads Can (and Should) Help, Too
Why does it fall only on a mother to show her daughter the way of the world and encourage her on her career path? It should be on both mother and father to expose their daughter to their jobs. Dads should step up and give their daughters the chance to see how they spend their days at work, too.
Be Proud to Be a Nerd
STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) industries are notoriously dominated by men. If dads work in STEM jobs, showing their daughters what they’re all about can help pave the way for girls to join these industries. STEM needs more women!
Girls Can Do the Hard Work
Show daughters the dirty jobs. Show them the exhausting jobs, the physical jobs, the jobs that no one wants. In careers that rely heavily on physical labor, such as plumbing, electrical work and contracting, interest can wane for women. It’s past time to turn that around and show our daughters that they can do it all — and that they should.
Find Passion, Wherever It May Be
Dads might have creatively driven jobs. They might be painters or graphic designers. Those avenues should be shown to daughters, too. They should be given the chance to see that jobs can be rooted in creativity — and that they can have careers they are passionate about.
'Men Only' Cannot Last Much Longer
Do you often see female sportscasters on TV? How about late night talk show hosts? Media often portrays men in positions of authority on our televisions, and that should change. Dads can show their daughters these types of jobs and open their eyes to career prospects that might never have occurred to them otherwise.
You Have the Same Amount of Hours in a Day as Beyoncé
Yes, we all do, and daughters have the same amount of hours in a day as their fathers. They can have the same achievements in the same amount of time. It’s about showing them how. It's about teaching them to not take "no" for an answer. It's about teaching them to fight for their rights and to know that nothing should hold them back.
Female by Birth, Leader by Right
In whatever role their dads might hold, there might be a woman in a higher position of power — one whom daughters can hope to emulate. Hopefully, dads will be able to show their daughters that women already have authority in their workplace and that being a man reporting to such a figure is normal. Daughters can learn that they, too, can be bosses and that men reporting to them and treating them with respect is a role that they can achieve in their own careers.
