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Thursday marks Take Our Daughters To Work Day

By Maxine Shapiro, KERA 90.1 commentator

Dallas, TX – This Thursday, April 25th is the tenth anniversary of Take Our Daughters to Work Day. It's not too late for your company to get involved. I'm Maxine Shapiro with KERA Marketplace Middays.

Take Our Daughters to Work Day is not just a bonding experience between parent and child. As positive as that is, it's a day when little girls get to witness firsthand the boundless choices they have in their lives. The following suggestions are from takeourdaughterstowork.org.

First, create a planning committee. Get a few of your buddies together, go to the boss and get everyone involved. "Girls can learn from every employee," from Human Relations to Marketing to I.T. Keep activities short, 45 to 55 minutes max. The recommended age is for girls between 9 and 15 years old. If your daughter's too young or you don't have a daughter, talk to a neighbor or girl scout troop and mentor for a day. It would be well worth the time and effort. And make sure you structure time for the girls to voice themselves - very important.

I remember the day as if it were yesterday. There was no national organization that prodded us to do it. I was 8 years old, and then 9, 10, 11, and it seemed like the same day every summer when my dad would take me to work with him. There was no large corporate building to go to. He worked out of his car. My dad was a liquor salesman. He would go from bar to liquor store, taking orders and presenting new products and ideas to boost the business for both himself and the store.

Now mind you, since those days in the early 60's, I have never had a moment's thought to become a liquor salesperson, but something did happen to my consciousness. I knew it was vital for me to earn my own living, and it could be as non-traditional as I wanted. It has been just that for both my sister and myself.

Speaking of non-traditional, studies show that little boys need to be introduced to more non-traditional jobs as well, a trend we are definitely seeing in the real world. So click on to takeourdaughterstowork.org, and this Thursday open up a few minds to the endless possibilities. For KERA Marketplace Middays, I'm Maxine Shapiro.

 

Marketplace Midday Reports air on KERA 90.1 Monday - Friday at 1:04 P.M.