Menstuff® has compiled the following information on the
decision by the Ms Foundation to finally include boys in their Take
Your Child to Work Day program.
Ms. Foundation for Women Announces Expanded New Program for
2003 Take Our Daughters & Sons To
Work™ Day
Take Our Daughters & Sons To Work Day is not the same as take our “children.” “We will include activities to ensure both girls and boys will get the most out of the day and to make the inclusion of boys as meaningful as possible, not just ‘add boys and stir’,” explains Marie C. Wilson, president of the Ms. Foundation for Women. Curricula for the new program will be released in the fall to give workplaces and schools ample time to modify the program.
“We are making this change because revolution demands evolution,” said Wilson. “We will launch Take Our Daughters & Sons To Work Day so that girls and boys can learn to work together to bring about a more equitable world - at home, at school and in the workplace.”
Launched in 1993, Take Our Daughters To Work® Day started a national conversation about girls and boys. For the past decade this program expanded girls’ understanding of possible career opportunities and encouraged equal opportunities for women in the workplace. “Our next step,” said Wilson, “is to bring the boys to work alongside the girls and take on the issues that they will both confront in the workplace.”
“It’s not enough to have workplace policies on the book; we have to change workplace culture so that men and women feel comfortable utilizing these policies,” said Wilson. In a national survey, 82% of men ages 21 to 39 rated “having a work schedule which allows me to spend time with my family,” as “very important” (Life’s Work; Radcliffe Public Policy Center/Harris Interactive 2000). Yet, a recent survey (RoperASW 2001) found that most Americans believe it is generally more acceptable for men to choose putting in overtime at the office (56%), even if it means being away from family.
Known for its innovation and leadership in taking on controversial issues, the Ms. Foundation’s creation of Take Our Daughters To Work® Day was a revolutionary way to address the needs of girls. “The Ms. Foundation has always tried to support the right idea for women at the right time, regardless of whether that idea was considered popular or possible,” continued Wilson. A decade later, technology and increasing demands of workplace productivity have changed the work life for women and men. In 2003, the Ms. Foundation will focus on equitably integrating work with family responsibilities and personal goals.
Take Our Daughters & Sons To Work Day will build upon the strong foundation created over ten years of widespread success with Take Our Daughters To Work®. More than 71 million Americans or a member of their household have participated and two out of three feel it is beneficial for girls who participate. The program has grown extremely popular and it has developed over the years, introducing girls to new opportunities and non-traditional careers, encouraging equality in the workplace and focusing employers’ attention on expanding opportunities for women.
The Ms. Foundation for Women has been creating opportunities for
women and girls for almost 30 years. We conduct advocacy and public
education campaigns, and direct resources of all kinds to
cutting-edge projects across the country that nurture girls’
leadership, protect the health and safety of women and girls, and
provide low-income women with the tools to lift themselves and their
families out of poverty. Creator of the award-winning Take Our
Daughters To Work® Day program, the Ms. Foundation is also a
recipient of a Presidential Award for Excellence in Microenterprise
Development for our longstanding commitment to improve economic
prospects for low-wage women, their families, and their
communities.
Source: www.daughtersandsonstowork.org/wmspage.cfm?parm1=278
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