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The Rites of Spring
EDITORIAL
The Rites of Spring
3
ome events are predictable. As spring comes, we welcome the Ides of March; St. Patrick’s Day; and the religious celebrations surrounding Passover, Easter, and Ramadan. Predictably, although with mixed emotions, we recognize Secretary’s Week in April and Nurses’ Week in May. Some find these national weeks of recognition, aimed largely at female-dominated occupations, to be demeaning. They ask why we celebrate these weeks when there are no comparable weeks for physicians, lawyers, college professors, or clergy. On the one hand, it’s proper to give credit where credit is due. Nurses, for example, deserve credit! On the other hand, the self-congratulations, cards, cookies, and commemorative coffee mugs often associated with Nurses’ Week d o not seem to be fitting. Nursing is a profession and a discipline. The newest rite of spring is TAKE OUR DAUGHTERS TO WORK@DAY, held this year on April 25. It falls on the calendar at approximately the same time of year as Secretary’s Day and Nurses’ Day. It also garners about the same emotional response from many nurses: ambivalence. It’s as predictable as spring that some of my colleagues will ask whether or not I am bringing my daughter to work on April 25, and others will ask if they may bring their daughters into patient care areas. My answer to the first question has always been “no,” and my answer to the second one has varied, depending on the ages of the girls and whether they attend a school that participates in the TAKE OUR DAUGHTERS TO WORK@program. TAKE OUR DAUGHTERS TO WORK@DAY is a program of the Ms. Foundation for Women. This foundation has been working for 20 years to change the lives of women by funding programs in four areas: (a) economic justice, including welfare reform, pay equity, and workplace rights; (b) safety, including prevention of violence against women and children; (c) health, specifically, reproductive rights and AIDS; and (d) girls, with an emphasis on their health, protection from violence, and nonsex-
ist curricula. TAKE OUR DAUGHTERS TO WORK@is a public education and advocacy campaign to make policy makers, the media, and the general public aware of the needs and concerns of women and girls. The Ms. Foundation provides a comprehensive manual for implementing the TAKE OUR DAUGHTERS TO WORK@DAY. It includes guides for parents, school administrators, teachers, and employers. The materials offer innovative ideas, methods, and strategies for planning and implementing a cohesive program. Tricky issuessuch as insuring girls while on the job and protecting public schools from losing revenue due to the girls’ absences-are addressed.’ I support the goals of the Ms. Foundation, and I think it has built a complete program around TAKE OUR DAUGHTERS TO WORK@DAY. Some of my concerns have been posed as the most frequently asked questions to the foundation: Why is the day held during the school year? Why is it necessary for me to remove my daughter from her classroom, sending the message that what she misses there is not important? If the school participates in the program, these concerns disappear because the day’s experiences on the job support the school curriculum. In the absence of full school participation, however, the day is just another absence. Most troublesome for me as a nurse is that the nursing profession may also need a TAKE OUR SONS TO WORK DAY (or better yet, a TAKE OUR CHILDREN TO WORK DAY). To change the public consciousness about what it is that nurses do and break down the barriers that keep smart men and boys from nursing careers will take a nonsexist program with a nonsexist curriculum. Karen B. Haller, RN,PhD Editor For more information or to order materials, contact the Ms Foundation for Women by telephone (1-800-676-7780),through e-mail ([email protected]),or on the Internet (http:// www.scholastic.com) .
J O G N N
203
The Rites of Spring
3
ome events are predictable. As spring comes, we welcome the Ides of March; St. Patrick’s Day; and the religious celebrations surrounding Passover, Easter, and Ramadan. Predictably, although with mixed emotions, we recognize Secretary’s Week in April and Nurses’ Week in May. Some find these national weeks of recognition, aimed largely at female-dominated occupations, to be demeaning. They ask why we celebrate these weeks when there are no comparable weeks for physicians, lawyers, college professors, or clergy. On the one hand, it’s proper to give credit where credit is due. Nurses, for example, deserve credit! On the other hand, the self-congratulations, cards, cookies, and commemorative coffee mugs often associated with Nurses’ Week d o not seem to be fitting. Nursing is a profession and a discipline. The newest rite of spring is TAKE OUR DAUGHTERS TO WORK@DAY, held this year on April 25. It falls on the calendar at approximately the same time of year as Secretary’s Day and Nurses’ Day. It also garners about the same emotional response from many nurses: ambivalence. It’s as predictable as spring that some of my colleagues will ask whether or not I am bringing my daughter to work on April 25, and others will ask if they may bring their daughters into patient care areas. My answer to the first question has always been “no,” and my answer to the second one has varied, depending on the ages of the girls and whether they attend a school that participates in the TAKE OUR DAUGHTERS TO WORK@program. TAKE OUR DAUGHTERS TO WORK@DAY is a program of the Ms. Foundation for Women. This foundation has been working for 20 years to change the lives of women by funding programs in four areas: (a) economic justice, including welfare reform, pay equity, and workplace rights; (b) safety, including prevention of violence against women and children; (c) health, specifically, reproductive rights and AIDS; and (d) girls, with an emphasis on their health, protection from violence, and nonsex-
ist curricula. TAKE OUR DAUGHTERS TO WORK@is a public education and advocacy campaign to make policy makers, the media, and the general public aware of the needs and concerns of women and girls. The Ms. Foundation provides a comprehensive manual for implementing the TAKE OUR DAUGHTERS TO WORK@DAY. It includes guides for parents, school administrators, teachers, and employers. The materials offer innovative ideas, methods, and strategies for planning and implementing a cohesive program. Tricky issuessuch as insuring girls while on the job and protecting public schools from losing revenue due to the girls’ absences-are addressed.’ I support the goals of the Ms. Foundation, and I think it has built a complete program around TAKE OUR DAUGHTERS TO WORK@DAY. Some of my concerns have been posed as the most frequently asked questions to the foundation: Why is the day held during the school year? Why is it necessary for me to remove my daughter from her classroom, sending the message that what she misses there is not important? If the school participates in the program, these concerns disappear because the day’s experiences on the job support the school curriculum. In the absence of full school participation, however, the day is just another absence. Most troublesome for me as a nurse is that the nursing profession may also need a TAKE OUR SONS TO WORK DAY (or better yet, a TAKE OUR CHILDREN TO WORK DAY). To change the public consciousness about what it is that nurses do and break down the barriers that keep smart men and boys from nursing careers will take a nonsexist program with a nonsexist curriculum. Karen B. Haller, RN,PhD Editor For more information or to order materials, contact the Ms Foundation for Women by telephone (1-800-676-7780),through e-mail ([email protected]),or on the Internet (http:// www.scholastic.com) .
J O G N N
203