Dads for Daughters
Dads for Daughters
How Fathers Can Give Their Daughters a Better, Brighter, Fairer Future
Today’s dads are raising confident, empowered daughters who believe they can achieve anything. But the world is still profoundly unequal, with workplaces built by men, a massive gender pay gap, and deeply-ingrained gender stereotypes. Dads For Daughters: How Fathers Can Give their Daughters a Better, Brighter, Fairer Future offers fathers guidance for building a more equal world for their daughters. It also offers women a path for recruiting more men to join the fight for women’s rights.
Inspired by their daughters, fathers are uniquely positioned to become powerful allies for girls and women. But in a post-#MeToo world, it can be difficult for men to step in and speak up. Despite these challenges, many men are still coming forward as ready, willing, and able supporters, who want to learn more about becoming part of the solution. That’s where Dads for Daughters can help. This book arms fathers with the data they need to advocate for gender equity. It also provides role models by sharing inspiring stories of dads of daughters who have already had an impact. Most importantly, it offers concrete strategies and expert advice for how dads of daughters can begin to make a difference.
In this book, dads of daughters will find a wide range of options for where to focus their energy—from mentoring women to equalizing pay, from sports fields to science labs, from building empathy to combating gender bias, from boardrooms to ballot boxes. Dads who are committed to seeing their daughters achieve their dreams have an opportunity to improve the world that their daughters will enter. With every small step, dads have the power to make incredible change and support the progress of girls and women in their families, workplaces, and communities.
Dads for Daughters also offers women a practical guide for engaging passionate men into action. It highlights successful strategies for working with men to support girls and women, and it offers resources for engaging men in gender equity initiatives. Women and men are stronger working together. Together, we can support a happier, more successful feminist future for all of our daughters to thrive.
Read Michelle's guest blog post on The Way Women Work: How and Why Dads of Daughters are Leaders in Women's Advancement
Listen to Michelle's interview on Stew Friedman's Work and Life Podcast
Praise for Dads For Daughters:
"Urgent message to dads: you are the untapped secret weapon in the war on gender inequality! Want to show some real male ally chops, up your gender intelligence, and knock down gendered barriers for your daughters and other women you care about in the workplace? Then Michelle Travis’s, Dads for Daughters, is a must read! Meticulously researched and powerfully written, this is the dude’s playbook and toolbox for truly showing up for women at work as an advocate and a warrior for gender equality. A real game-changer for gender allyship and changing workplace culture. Go Dads Go!"
—W. Brad Johnson & David Smith, authors of Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women, and Professors in the Department of Leadership, Ethics, and Law at the U.S. Naval Academy
"As the dad of two young daughters, I have become more aware of their future and ways to advance gender equality in arenas like the Silicon Valley’s tech industry. Dads For Daughters shares stories of inspiring role models and a wealth of resources for other dads who would like to get involved in expanding equal opportunities for girls and women. If you’re a dad who wants to create a fairer and more equal world for your daughters to thrive, this book is a must read!"
—Jerry Yang, Co-Founder & former CEO of Yahoo! Inc., Founder of AME Cloud Ventures
"As a father of three kids (two girls & a boy), I am excited to read the stories of these dads who want to get involved in creating equal opportunities for women so our next generation of girls can fulfill their dreams. This book is filled with concrete advice and resources to support dads of daughters who want to advance gender equality in their communities and workplaces, including in male-dominated arenas like STEM. I wish I had this resource as I was creating the Ella the Engineer comic book."
—Anthony Onesto, Creator & Founder of Ella the Engineer
"This is a must-read for all men, not just dads. While I believe fathers of daughters have a special responsibility, all men need to do this for the women in their lives including the daughters of their co-workers and colleagues. It’s time to acknowledge that men still hold a majority of the positions of power within most organizations. That said, the onus is on us to be part of the solution to address the hidden systemic and cultural issues that continue to plague our organizations. Thankfully, Michelle Travis presents a compelling case for gender equality along with a variety of big and small actions to bring about change. Most importantly, she offers a handbook to help us find a place to start and the encouragement that there is a role for each of us to spark change."
—Jeffery Tobias Halter, President, YWomen and Author of WHY WOMEN: The Business Imperative to Advancing Women and Engaging Men
"Few books both offer inspiring stories and, at the same time, imminently practical and tactical suggestions for social change. Dads for Daughters does both exceptionally well. Its interviews and case studies are heart-warming and fascinating, and even as a mom of two sons, I walked away with a helpful "to-do" list. Michelle has me completely convinced in the power of the dads of daughters to make the world a better place for all women."
—Lori Mihalich-Levin, JD, Founder of Mindful Return and Author of Back to Work After Baby: How to Plan and Navigate a Mindful Return from Maternity Leave
"While there's no parental prerequisite to fight for gender equality, Michelle Travis's book, Dads For Daughters: How Fathers Can Give their Daughters a Better, Brighter, Fairer Future, speaks profoundly, positively and deeply to men and fathers. Drawing on examples and research from the boardroom, office, courtroom and sports field to the family room, Travis shares stories about the actions men have taken to make a difference. This book will expertly and comprehensively inspire and guide you with resources and the immediate actions you can take to build a better future for yourself, those you work with and those you love."
—Rania Anderson, keynote speaker & author of WE: Men, Women and the Decisive Formula for Winning at Work
"Thoroughly researched and thought-provoking—must reading for dads of daughters, and anyone else who wants to see a future in which women have the same opportunities as men. The book is inspiring and packed full of ideas for taking immediate action."
—Greg Helmstetter, Co-Creator of STEAMTeam 5
"If you are the dad of a daughter who is worried about her future and wondering how to help, this book offers a magical combination of social science and practical tips."
—Joan Williams, Co-Author of What Works for Women at Work: Four Patterns Working Women Need to Know
"In Dads for Daughters, Michelle Travis shows how dads can play a powerful role in the inside game for women's equality: by becoming allies, advocates, and supporters to their daughters' cause. Though the fight for gender equality must engage all members of society, dads are in a unique position to anticipate and observe as their daughters enter careers in a vastly unequal playing field for leadership and financial gain. In fact, each chapter of this compelling book addresses a daunting issue that women continue to face in the workplace, along with a call to action in "How Dads Can Get Started"—a chapter section that offers a compendium of organizations, initiatives, and mentoring opportunities for dads to accelerate the progress women have already made. With inspiring examples of how dads have advocated for their daughters, including NBA greats, Stephen Curry and Coach Gregg Popovich, Michelle motivates other dads to follow their lead. This is an essential book for every dad, no matter the age of his daughter—dads for daughters can never stop!"
—Kate Farrell, librarian, storyteller, & author of Story Power: Secrets to Creating, Crafting, and Telling Memorable Stories
