New Worlds for Our Daughters : Millions of girls are going to work with parents or sponsors today

Today millions of American parents will leave for work with more than their lunch pails or briefcases; they will have their daughters in tow. It’s the second annual “Take Our Daughters to Work Day.”

Organized by the Ms. Foundation, the daylong event is something between a field trip for girls 9 to 15 years old and a grand goodwill gesture by the sponsoring employers.

The idea behind Daughters Day is simple yet powerful. Psychologists have found that the self-esteem of girls, on a par with that of boys in elementary school, plummets as they enter teen age. As their confidence in their abilities suffers, so does their sense of career options. Daughters Day is a well-intended if self-conscious effort to teach by example, to show impressionable girls what women in the work force can do, to inspire them when they most need inspiration.

Last year, about 1 million girls spent the day at the elbow of parents or sponsors gaining insight into the work life of commodity traders, police officers, bus drivers, telephone installers, lawyers and many other professionals and tradespeople.

By most accounts, the experience was highly positive for the girls as well as for their mentors. This year’s plans are more elaborate, involving triple the number of girls and tens of thousands of sponsoring corporations and organizations.

But could Daughters Day become a victim of its own success? The once-faint rumblings from boys who understandably covet such lavish attention have grown. This occasion was meant to bolster girls at a vulnerable moment, with no slight to boys intended. Even so, the boys’ demand could well evolve into a kind of “Take a Child to Work Day.” If that happens, deserved focus on the special needs of pre-teen and teen-age girls would be lost, regrettably. All things considered, it might be better to schedule a separate special day at work for the boys.

The worlds of work and family too long have been disconnected, and American children--indeed, American families--have been much the poorer as a result. Welcoming girls, and perhaps eventually boys, into the workplace can be as much an education for grown-ups as for the kids.