#TakeYourChildToWorkDay

The Feminist Origin Story Most People Don’t Know

Take Your Child to Work Day has a cleaner, more corporate reputation than it deserves. The real origin story involves the Anita Hill hearings, a late-night train ride, and Gloria Steinem crossing out a single letter on a proposal.

In 1991, the Senate’s dismissive treatment of Anita Hill’s testimony sparked outrage among women’s advocates. The following year, Nell Merlino — an artist and communications consultant working with the Ms. Foundation for Women — was riding a train from Trenton to New York City. She noticed that at rush hour, the subway cars were packed with adults. But at 3 PM, they were packed with kids heading home from school. A thought struck her: what would happen if the 9 AM train was as full of girls as the 3 PM train? She went home and wrote a five-page proposal that night.

When Gloria Steinem read Merlino’s draft, she made one edit that changed everything. She crossed out the “Y” in “Your” and insisted it be “Our Daughters” — making it a collective act rather than just a parenting activity. The first Take Our Daughters to Work Day launched on April 22, 1993, and Parade magazine’s coverage (reaching 33 million readers) generated over 10,000 letters. By 1996, five million girls across 14 countries were participating.

The Boys Controversy That Split the Movement

For its first decade, the event was girls-only by design. The Ms. Foundation argued it was specifically created to address self-esteem issues unique to young women navigating a workplace built by and for men. But pressure mounted. Schools began refusing to participate because their male students were excluded. A lawsuit alleged the event was sexist.

In 2003, the name officially changed to “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day.” Not everyone was happy. Original advocates argued the expansion diluted the program’s feminist intent by turning targeted empowerment into a generic family outing. Steinem herself had a different vision for including boys — she’d proposed a companion event called “Take Our Sons Home Day,” designed to show boys what it takes to run a household. That idea never materialized.

Then in January 2025, Junior Achievement took over the program entirely, rebranding it as “Take a Child to Work Day and Beyond” — now presented by Staples and opened up to every child, including those who may not have a parent’s workplace to visit.

37 Million People and Some Very Memorable Office Visits

At its peak in 2018, over 37 million Americans at 3.5 million workplaces participated. That’s not a cute little office tradition — it’s one of the largest informal workplace events in the country.

And some organizations go all out. At NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, over 600 kids visit annually to watch Mars rover demonstrations and tour robotics labs. The White House participates every year regardless of administration — Biden fielded questions from kids about everything from his breakfast to what he does all day, while the Trump administration hosted children decorating wooden flags in the Kennedy Garden and running a mock press briefing in the Brady Room.

COVID threw a wrench in things. The 2020 event was cancelled entirely — the first time since 1993. In 2021 and 2022, it went virtual with company tours, scavenger hunts, and remote shadow sessions. But there was an irony to it all: for parents working from home while juggling childcare, every day had already become Take Your Child to Work Day whether they liked it or not.

Does It Actually Change Anything?

Research says yes, though maybe not in the way the founders intended. Studies show that children’s career aspirations are most influenced by who they know — their parents and their parents’ friends — rather than by school career days or aptitude tests. A UK study called Drawing the Future found that among children aged 7 to 11, career aspirations are extremely concentrated and heavily shaped by direct exposure. When kids from underrepresented backgrounds see professionals who look like them working in diverse roles, it genuinely expands their sense of what’s possible.

There’s a workplace culture benefit too. A University of New Mexico study found that events like this signal that families are “a source of pride rather than a professional liability,” which strengthens employees’ connection to their work. Companies that participate aren’t just being nice — they’re sending a message about what kind of employer they are.

Why the Hashtag Works So Well on Social Media

#TakeYourChildToWorkDay trends hard every April because the content practically creates itself. Kids sitting in oversized office chairs looking serious. Toddlers “running” meetings. Children in miniature versions of their parents’ uniforms — tiny scrubs, little hard hats, mini lab coats. The expectation-versus-reality posts are consistently some of the most shared content of the day.

For brands, it’s low-hanging fruit. You don’t need a big production — just candid photos of real employees with their kids. The authenticity is what performs. Overly staged corporate content tends to flop, while genuine chaos (a toddler banging on a keyboard during a Zoom call, a kid asking the CEO why they look tired) goes viral.

If you’re posting this year, lean into the real moments. The staged family photo in front of the company logo gets a polite like. The video of a six-year-old explaining what they think their parent does for a living — that gets shared a thousand times.

Related Hashtags

#PleaseTakeMyChildrenToWorkDay, #NationalParentsDay, #FamilyDay, #ChildrensDay, #WalkToWorkDay, #InternationalWorkersMemorialDay, #RespectForParentsDay