Recently I had a conversation with my roommate about studying abroad. In May, I am going on a Maymester to Thailand, and the topic surrounded that. It was started by me being asked about how my parents “allowed me to go.” This question was not one that I expected to ever receive.
Growing up, my parents never limited me or even mentioned that I cannot do something based on my sex. Up until this talk I never realized that some parents do limit their daughters. Whether this be based on fear, which most of the time it is, or sad cases of thinking girls cannot do what guys can, it still is ultimately my pet peeve.
It is 2019 people. We have been through arguably four waves of feminism. Why are young girls still being limited? If your daughter wants to travel, wants to try something out of the box, or wants to break what is stereotypically female in any way – let her! Girls cannot be raised to live in fear any longer. Sheltering young girls based on sex only takes women back in time. Hundreds, thousands, and millions of women have fought for girls to be viewed as equal, and by keeping young girls home and away from the “scary outside world,” we reduce the efforts of these women.
As we women continue to fight for equality, we must continue to show those younger than us that we have the right to live a life as free as a man. We have the right to be who we want without any restrictions. We have a right to live independently. We have the right to safety and happiness and autonomy.
Hear me out parents, and future parents of females: don’t treat her any differently than you would a son. Encourage her to explore, encourage her to live her life, and most importantly encourage her to carry on without fear.