In case you didn't get a calendar alert, this is the week parents and others in charge of children are encouraged to take them to work. Yes, Thursday is the day we're asked to bring the youth of America into the world they'll likely be experiencing all too soon.
It's an annual reminder that far too few young ones know little, if anything, about what the breadwinners are doing to earn that bread. So think about responding to Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day by doing visiting the website and reviewing the many resources to be found there.
But wait — didn't this used to be called Take Our Children to Work? Are there competing week-long events? Do you have to do this twice to be up for Parent of the Year?
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Nope. In 2007, the Ms. Foundation, which sponsored the event, spun off the Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Foundation, and for very good reasons. Back in the day, Take Our Children to Work Week often involved men and boys, with girls and working moms kind of getting the short end of the stick.
The Ms. Foundation wanted more opportunities "to nurture girls' voices and leadership," and saw the annual take 'em to work event as a natural opportunity to do so. Thus the name change to further emphasize the importance of including females.
Additionally, says the organization, research has suggested that boys and girls do better when separated by gender at such an activity.
"This is the first time that most girls and boys will be asked to talk about how they envision their future home and work lives," TODSTW says on its website. "For some participants it will be easier to start these conversations in a group comprised of their own gender. For this reason, we recommend separating the girls and boys for the first few activities. After girls and boys have a chance to articulate their ideas, it will be easier to come together and share them."
The upshot is that, while the basic premise hasn't changed, more thought has been put into it so that it's more inclusive and instructive. Further, the foundation encourages adults to offer to bring young people to work who perhaps don't have a working parent, thus further expanding opportunities for girls and boys to get early insight into the world of work.
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
