In the Beginning, It Was Take Our Daughters

And things have evolved over the years. I’m happy to see that the Ms. Foundation has incorporated itself into individual organizations’ programs. They have developed their own logo, which Stanford now uses. And although I miss seeing mine and wonder where it went, I’m happy to see that there is some uniformity there. Their logo in an illustrated shooting star and reads, “Revolutionizing the Workplace,” which speaks to a study that was done by the Families and Work Institute, where “81 percent of girls and almost 60 percent of boys said they would reduce their work hours when they have children.” If our future work force sticks to making choices like that, the workplace is certainly going to go through a revolution. I hope I’m still in the workforce to see it.

At Stanford, on April 26th, kids aged ten through fifteen will have a plethora of ideas to explore future career choices. After morning performances from university student jugglers, hip-hop dancers, and an improv group, sons and daughters will leave the adults and participate in one of twenty-five different workshops. Stanford has covered both sides of the brain in order to attract future artists, scientists, builders, and athletes. Kids will be able to choose workshops such as Brain Day, where they’ll have hands-on exploration of human and animal brain anatomy and how different brains work. Some will visit with structural engineers at the Blume Earthquake Engineering Center to learn about earthquakes and how to safely design buildings. Others may decide to head over to the campus radio station to try out being a disc jockey or over to the Medical School to learn about the inner workings of the human body by doing virtual surgeries.

While kids are exploring future careers, parents can attend an hour-long seminar led by Denise Pope, a lecturer in the School of Education and author of the important book, Doing School: How We Are Creating a Generation of Stressed-Out, Materialistic, and Miseducated Students. After their respective talks, the sons and daughters will gather with their adults and perhaps head back to their offices to see what work is really like day-to-day. I can only hope that with the Ms. Foundation mission on this day, and with lectures like Stanford is giving, that our future will be filled with more balanced workplaces—where time spent with our sons and daughters will be as important as time spent at the office.