Why Gender Equity Starts at Home

There can be little doubt that many of our most important beliefs about other people are developed at a very young age. When growing up, adults’ attitudes in our household can create a lasting impression on our notion of the world around us. This is especially true concerning how we think of gender roles within society.

Early Ideas of Gender Equality

Too often, for example, father figures intentionally or unintentionally model behavioral roles that put women on the back foot in a relationship. Unconscious biases can do much to promote unhealthy and unequal behaviors in a household and in society. Sadly, children tend to learn more from what their parents do than what their parents say; the effect of seeing gender discrimination at home can set a pattern that can last a lifetime.

Examining Our Deeply Held Beliefs

In the broader sense, how we behave as parents are predicated on how we think of the world around us. On a very basic level, who we are as people often springs from what we choose to believe. At some point, moreover, our beliefs tend to rise to the surface of our behavior.

For example, suppose that a person wants to believe in gender equality but does not address deeper prejudices that they may have learned over time. On a conscious…