When it comes to women's issues, I frequently see the glass as half-empty. After years of covering topics that impact women's lives and stories that don't always end positively, I've grown cynical and pessimistic about the future. Writing about the need for change gets old when you don't see much forward momentum.
So it was a complete surprise when I found myself tearing up and getting emotional at an elementary school in lower Manhattan yesterday as I participated in a taping of a segment for ABC's morning news and entertainment show Good Morning America.
Seventeen 5th graders changed my mind about the future and where male/female interactions, perceptions and relationships are headed. We adults may not be able to break free from gender role assumptions. But for the most part, these kids have...and in a few years their beliefs will change the world as we know it.
This Sunday morning, if you're near a TV or can set a DVR to catch a compelling, moving segment about kids and and their perceptions of occupations and gender -- and see me offer commentary on their responses -- tune into Good Morning America between 8 and 9 am. It's due to air then.
Since I don't want to ruin the segment, I'm not going to say anything more. But stop back here next week for a behind-the-scenes look at what I learned from the GMA taping and how my view of women's issues shifted from a glass half-empty to one that's now half-full. I guarantee that if you see this Sunday's segment, you'll find yourself as moved as I was by the world these 5th graders are bringing into being.
Update: Here's a link to the GMA segment entitled "Different Generations, Same Riddle at Yahoo! News.
Comments
I can’t wait to see it!
Seeing these kids brought great joy to my heart! I am so glad that the next generation is moving forward. Thank you for sharing.
I wonder what it says about the culture and activism, that many were much quicker to guess that this son lived in a household with a same sex relationship than take the leap that the surgeon might be a woman. Current controversy over gay marriage has raised discussion everywhere, in schools, at home, etc. and so it’s nearly impossible for a child to not be aware of these issues. By contrast, there are no big official battles to maintain status quo where women are concerned. It’s mostly a cold war that goes largely unmentioned and unacknowledged. Significant, but not the stuff of headlines.