It is about time we think further to make sure our daughters have a better life than we do.
Ok, in the western world, women's situation is not that bad: they can vote. They can study, work, aim for the top positions politically and in business organizations. The reality though is in the numbers.
Sheryl Sandberg talks much better than me about these numbers and I really invite you to view the video that you can watch on my blog.
The reality is also that working women with children are not only consumed with guilt, but they also feel a pressure that men don't feel. The pressure I am talking about is the one linked to physical appearance and ability to seduce and convince.
It is hard to change patterns that have been going on for centuries. The lack of self-confidence in most women stems from the fact that, for a very long time, women have seen themselves through the men's eyes.
I was looking at the TV show Bewitched with my daughter the other day. And suddenly I understood why unconsciously I had banned all pink and girlies stuff for my daughter, who, as a result, has never played dolls, princess or anything like that. I guess I had the intimate conviction that this was a fraud.
I find it difficult shopping for gifts for girls because I do not want to feed into this debilitating, servile drive to confine women in an obedient domestic role.
If we want the male female interaction to change, it has to start in education. It has to start in our homes. Who would offer a doll or an ironing board to a boy? Who would offer cars, power symbols to a girl?
My little boy who is five loved to dress up a baby doll neglected by my daughter, but very soon peer pressure taught him that it is not cool to do so for a boy: it is a girl thing!
Ok, in the western world, women's situation is not that bad: they can vote. They can study, work, aim for the top positions politically and in business organizations. The reality though is in the numbers.
Sheryl Sandberg talks much better than me about these numbers and I really invite you to view the video that you can watch on my blog.
The reality is also that working women with children are not only consumed with guilt, but they also feel a pressure that men don't feel. The pressure I am talking about is the one linked to physical appearance and ability to seduce and convince.
It is hard to change patterns that have been going on for centuries. The lack of self-confidence in most women stems from the fact that, for a very long time, women have seen themselves through the men's eyes.
I was looking at the TV show Bewitched with my daughter the other day. And suddenly I understood why unconsciously I had banned all pink and girlies stuff for my daughter, who, as a result, has never played dolls, princess or anything like that. I guess I had the intimate conviction that this was a fraud.
I find it difficult shopping for gifts for girls because I do not want to feed into this debilitating, servile drive to confine women in an obedient domestic role.
If we want the male female interaction to change, it has to start in education. It has to start in our homes. Who would offer a doll or an ironing board to a boy? Who would offer cars, power symbols to a girl?
My little boy who is five loved to dress up a baby doll neglected by my daughter, but very soon peer pressure taught him that it is not cool to do so for a boy: it is a girl thing!
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