The Power of Fathers

By Nyiri DuCharme, G(irls)20 Mobilizer

Girls can’t do math.

Or at least, that’s what we’re told from a young age. Not too young though – studies have shown that until about junior high, girls actually outperform boys in science and math. To borrow the words of Chelsea Clinton, “girls are just as likely, if not more likely than boys, to say they want to be astronauts, engineers, scientists, biologists… and then there’s a haemorrhage in middle school: of performance, of interest, of engagement, and candidly, of ambition.” By the time high school arrives, many girls believe that they’re supposed to be better at social studies, fine arts, and the humanities – and to avoid the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, math).

The participation of girls and women in STEM fields is crucial for global economic progress: according to Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor to the president of the United States, “women and girls who succeed determine whether a society is going to succeed”.

I used to think I wasn’t one of those girls. I wasn’t scared of math and science, and I don’t remember anyone directly telling me that I can’t or shouldn’t study it. I mean, yeah I went into the social sciences in university, but I’ve always respected logic and reasoning skills above all else. Pretty math-y, right? But then I thought about it and I realized… I actually used to love science, specifically biology. I kicked butt at it. I just never even considered studying it at the university level – why would I? No one had specifically instructed me to not enter these fields, and yet I considered it more of an interest than a career path.

A study finds that the way in which parents share doing the dishes dishes, the laundry, and other domestic duties, plays a key role in shaping the gender attitudes and aspirations of their children, especially their daughters.

There are many articles on how mothers empower their daughters, but now, G(irls)20 is taking a different approach: talking about fathers. For some girls, their fathers have always been involved in their lives. For others, fathers have held distant relationships during their upbringing. Fathers are just one piece of the puzzle, but male role models in general are not always acknowledged in the development of young girls – and there is clear evidence to support how having a strong male role model can lead to lasting impacts and positive changes in the development of girls.

Male role models are especially important in the STEM fields, where women’s participation is traditionally low – less than 20% of bachelor’s degrees in computer science go to women, even though female graduates hold 60% of all bachelor’s degrees. In fact, studies have shown that having a male role model encourage young girls to enter these fields had a significant impact on them breaking through barriers and entering these job markets.

If she’s told she can do it, then she will do it.

A report from the Girl Scouts Research Institute found that 68% of girls interested in STEM studies report that their fathers encourage them to pursue careers in those fields. Fathers – and other male champions of change – are key factors in the participation of girls and women in STEM fields, which is fundamental for global economic progress.

This is not to say that every girl can or should enter the STEM fields. Each individual has certain skills stronger than others – male or female. But women are systemically underrepresented in the STEM fields, and that’s absolutely not because they’re inherently less-skilled than boys – it’s because girls and women are told that they have weaker skills, even before they’ve had the chance to exercise their full extent.

Share your #FathersEmpoweringDaughters story with us to thank your dad for empowering you. Take a look and join the global campaign today: www.fathersempoweringdaughters.org