Empowerment of Women: 5 reasons to start from childhood

Neither beauty is synonymous with success, nor does happiness come with a highly anticipated prince charming. There are still many stereotypes and gender barriers pending to go down in history. There are still many children who continue to believe that they occupy different places in society. And there are even more steps to take to make gender equality a reality. Today we are talking about one of them, female empowerment since childhood, and its importance.

There are 1.1 billion girls in the world, 1.1 billion dreams that should not be truncated by gender impositions. In order for girls to understand that they own their future, experts agree that from different socialization agents (family, school, media, etc.), self-esteem and empowerment must be promoted from an early age, through of keys such as communication, leadership or negotiation, among others.

In short, to achieve a 50-50 planet, it is necessary to have new generations from an early age to be drivers of change. But in case we have not convinced you yet, we give you some more reasons to empower from childhood.

5 reasons for Empowerment of Women

1. Because they will learn to be brave, not perfect

Most girls are taught to avoid failure and risk by focusing on safe play, on being perfect in everything they do. Children, meanwhile, are encouraged to take risks, to be brave and powerful, to never give up. Why do we teach girls to be perfect and boys to be brave? They must also know how to put fear aside to face the challenges of life and thus learn from their mistakes and successes.

2. Because gender stereotypes are acquired from childhood
According to research recently published in the journal Science, girls start to feel less intelligent than boys from the age of 6. From an early age, gender stereotypes take their toll on the interests and aspirations of girls, who begin to avoid activities related to boys they consider “brilliant”.

3. Because it contributes to preventing violence and discrimination

In addition to promoting leadership and self-esteem in girls, it is also necessary to educate boys and girls in gender equality from a young age. At very young ages (0-12 years), prejudices hardly exist, which favors internalizing civic behavior based on equality and respect for oneself and others, leaving aside gender roles.

4. Because today's girls will be tomorrow's leaders

As obvious as it sounds, it should be remembered that the girls of today will be the women of tomorrow, that half of humanity that will include workers, mothers, businesswomen, tutors, political leaders ... As the UN recalls, "investing in your potential defends your rights now and promises a more equitable and prosperous future. "

5. Because development without them is not possible

Gender equality is not only a development goal in itself, but an essential means to achieve all the Sustainable Development Goals. Only with men and women living together on equal terms will it be possible to solve political conflicts, economic growth, disease prevention, climate change and, ultimately, guarantee the sustainability of the world.

There are more than 5 reasons to empower girls, just as there are many ways to contribute, each person from their field and abilities, to an equitable and sustainable world, the important thing is not to stand idly by. The American writer and political activist Hellen Keller has already said it:

"I'm not the only one, but I'm still somebody. I can't do everything, but I can still do something. And just because I can't do everything, I won't give up doing what I can"