"We've come so far": Deb Knight pens moving letter to daughters
Presenter Deborah Knight has written a touching letter to her children to celebrate International Women’s Day.
In the letters - one to her daughters, and one to her son - Deb honours them as well as all of the other women, girls, and gender diverse individuals to have come before them, and highlights that although society has come a long way in many regards, we still have a long way to go in many, many others.
“To my Dear Daughters,” Deb began, in the letter shared to 9News. “Happy International Women's Day! It's great being a girl, and there's so much to celebrate.
“We've come so far from the days when girls weren't allowed to do so much. We couldn't have a job, or own our own things. We weren't allowed to vote at elections, or go to school, and a lot of this was not that long ago, and for no good reason.
“Girls and women were just as able to reach their full potential as you are today - they just weren't given the chance.
“Now, there are so many more opportunities for girls. If you work hard and put your mind to it, you can achieve so much in your life and career. You can even be a champion in sports that once only boys were allowed to play. But unfortunately there is still a way to go before you are judged only on what you are able to do, rather than whether you're a boy or a girl.
“Your brother will still earn more money than you for the same job. He'll do less work around the house, and retire on more superannuation. He'll be more likely to be your boss or the Prime Minister.
“You'll be at much greater risk of being a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault, and if you do become a professional sports star, you'll earn a fraction of what your brother would, and most likely have to fit another job around your training to pay the bills.”
Deb went on to write about how there was still much to celebrate - though she wouldn’t touch on the beliefs she held when she was their age.
She stressed that for her girls, there would be a difficult road ahead should they choose to have children and a career, likely drawing from her own experiences when she wrote “you’ll feel like you’re failing at one or both jobs - letting down your boss and your family at certain points. You'll feel guilty, and be made to feel guilty for the choices you make.
“The harsh truth is you can't easily have it all, maybe not all at once. But I really hope you try.”
To her son, Deb wrote of her hope that one day “boys and girls will be truly equal.”
“Your Dad does so much more in raising you and your sisters than Grandad or Great Grandad ever did,” she reflected, “and I know you will likely do more than all of them if you have your own family one day. Although you need to get better at hanging up your towel after you have a shower…”
And in comments reflecting what she’d told her daughters, Deb urged her son to do the right thing, and use his privilege to help whenever he could, “the girls can fight as hard as they like to get the same opportunities as you, but they'll never really achieve it without boys like you stepping up as well.
“You need to make sure you show them respect, and call out boys and men you see treating girls and women badly, either with their words or their actions.”
Deb concluded by telling him that it would be better for everyone to have people of all genders treated equally, and how it would “make life so much easier for everyone.
“So I hope you recognise the importance of International Women's Day, not just for your sisters, but for families everywhere.”
Images: Instagram