Page 18 - IAV Digital Magazine #568

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Take Our Daughters to Work Day was created in New York City in the summer of 1992 by the Ms. Foundation for Women and its president, Marie C. Wilson, the Women's foundation treasur- er, Daren Ball, and with sup- port from foundation founder Gloria Steinem.[5] The first celebration took place on April 22, 1993,[6] and has since been celebrated usual- ly on the fourth Thursday of April in order for the 37 mil- lion children, parents, schools in over 3.5 million workplaces across the coun- try, in addition to participants in over 200 countries around the world, to plan ahead for the annual event.[7] The day has generally been sched- uled on a day that is a school day for most children in the United States, and schools are provided with lit- erature and encouraged to promote the program. Educators are provided with materials for incorporating career exploration into school curricula on the day before or after the event.
The program was officially
expanded in 2003 to include boys; however, most compa- nies that participated in the program had, since the beginning, allowed both boys and girls to participate, usually renaming it "Take Our Children to Work Day" or an equivalent.[8] The pro- gram's official website states that the program was changed in order to provide both boys and girls with opportunities to explore careers at an age when they are more flexible in terms of gender roles. The Ms. Foundation also states that men who have hosted chil- dren have benefited from being seen as parental fig- ures in addition to their roles as professionals, which can contribute to combating gen- der stereotypes as well.
Prior to the inclusion of boys, the Ms. Foundation contended that the program was designed to specifically address self-esteem issues unique to girls and initially resisted pressure to include boys. Much of this pressure came from educators who did not wish to include the
event in their curriculum given that their male stu- dents were not encouraged to participate.
In 2007, upon becoming its own separate foundation, the Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work program was turned over to Carolyn McKecuen, a MacArthur Award recipient, who took effective control as its exec- utive director before relocat- ing to Elizabeth City, North Carolina, where it has remained since. Gloria Steinem continues to main- tain a role with the Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Foundation as a member of its board of directors.
Employees across the United States and around the world typically invite their own children or relatives to join them at work, but the program particularly encour- ages employees to invite children from residential pro- grams or shelters who may not be exposed to many adults in skilled professions today.
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