As feminism continues to grow, more women want to be recognized for their achievements and not overshadowed simply due to their gender. Although some changes may have already occurred in recent years and the movement is gaining more traction, individuals could argue that we’re still a long way from classing men and women as equals. When you have a daughter, you may want to provide her with the tools and resources she can use to find success and happiness, even if that inequality were to still exist once she reaches adulthood.

A financially empowered woman is a force to be reckoned with. This can help her to gain and maintain her independence. Setting up a low fee junior ISA when she is a baby could mean that, once your daughter is an adult, she has the money she needs to buy her first vehicle, or even put down a deposit for her own home. By enabling her to be able to do these things, she may not need to spend her hard-earned money paying rent to someone else or even need to rely on a partner or friends to be able to gain those necessities. 

Alternatively, she may be able to use this money to have some fun and make the most of her independence. This could be important if she’s already taken steps to secure her future, or works hard. Having a sum of money she can use to go on vacation, or even take a few months away from work, could do her mental health the world of good. Also, having this extra money will teach your daughter about how to manage finances, which is an important skill to learn.

You may also want to consider the way that you raise your daughter, as this can have quite a large effect on how empowered she is. It can be important to instil a good level of confidence in her so that she feels capable of doing things for herself. However, you may want to look out for any signs of arrogance, rather than confidence, and teach her why these might not be appropriate. A confident young woman may be more likely to acknowledge and appreciate her achievements without bragging. Likewise, she may also be quick to point out achievements that others have made, and be genuine with any praise she gives out.

Education is another vital part of how you raise and empower your daughter. By promoting the virtues of reading, research, curiosity and open-mindedness, you’ll be teaching your daughter valuable skills that will give her a foundation for success and fulfilment in later life. Education will open up new career opportunities, which is important for making a living, but it can also create new interests and make someone more understanding and empathetic. Women were denied access to education for many centuries to lock them out of careers and important positions in society, so teaching your daughter to value education is one of the best ways to defy regressive gender norms and empower her.

Educating your daughter will also give her the power of forming her own opinions and being able to assert herself. To encourage this, you can make a habit of always including your daughter in important conversations and asking for her opinion. This will let her know that her opinion is valuable and deserves to be heard, which will give her the confidence to speak up and make her voice heard throughout life.

Encouraging your daughter to give her own opinions will then lead to her wanting to make her own decisions. This could be about very important life events like going to university, or she could want to make choices about simpler things like what she wants to wear. If you want to empower your daughter, you should allow her the freedom to make her own decisions so that she feels in control of her own destiny. This will also help her to become more decisive later in life and able to clearly express what she wants. 

In addition to giving her opinions and making her own choices, your daughter should also feel empowered to set boundaries and know her own worth. Women are often taught to be people-pleasers and always accommodate others, even at the expense of their own comfort or happiness, but this can lead to women suppressing their own wants and needs and having their boundaries disregarded. By teaching your daughter that she shouldn’t allow others to take advantage of her and mistreat her, you’ll give her the confidence to assert herself in negative situations.

It may also be good for your daughter to learn a form of martial arts. This could help if she needed to defend herself but, outside of dangerous situations, there are also some other great benefits. This could allow her to maintain focus that much better, and be more willing to practice patience. Likewise, it is also a form of physical activity, so might be able to help her stay in shape.

Finally, perhaps the best way to empower your daughter is to be a positive role model for her or to encourage her to build relationships with inspiring women within your family or circle of friends. Seeing and talking to empowered women from a young age will help your daughter to become more confident, and meeting women who’ve defied expectations and shattered the glass ceiling will inspire her to dream big and not give up on her goals. 

Empowering your daughter doesn’t just involve things like physical strength and confidence. Instead, it’s about many aspects combined together and the ways that you can help her to pave the way for her future. This can involve giving her some level of financial independence, encouraging her to voice her opinions, as well as teaching her the different ways that she can become a well-rounded person. These may help her in both her working and personal life so that she is able to achieve her life goals.

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