The Daddy-Daughter Dilemma: Turns out fathers are more important than they thought Introduction When Hermione Granger speaks, the world listens. In recent months, Emma Watson, best-known for her part as the precocious witch in the Harry Potter series, has taken on a new role: Women Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations and head of the He for She campaign. Her speech in September, entitled Gender Equality is Your Issue Too, Watson called for the aid of men and boys, emphasizing the importance of their involvement in the fight for gender equality (Watson, 2014). This campaign, along with many others, has instigated considerable discussion about the role of men in the lives of women, and opinions are diverse. Blog posts range from “Why I will never be a feminist” to “Why my sons will be raised on feminism and respect” as people express their opinions on the various relationships between men and women. One of the most influential relationships in a woman’s life is her relationship with her father. But what do fathers think of that? According to a Roper Poll in 2004, only 30 percent of fathers said that their involvement in their daughter’s life is vital to her wellbeing. This startling statistic could explain why so much research has been done on the quality of mother-daughter relationships and father-son relationships, while the fatherdaughter relationship has been somewhat neglected by society in general. Additionally, it also could partially explain why, in 2010, nearly one-fourth of children under the age of 18 in the United States were raised in single-mother households: fathers feel like they do not matter (Mathers, 2010). Due to the present dialogue on women’s emotional wellbeing and their role in society, any research on the factors influencing girls’ self-esteem will be both relevant and important; the influence of a father is one of these factors. Many studies have been done on the effect of a father’s presence or absence in a home, and the effects of father’s absence are drastic. But for a father to effectively impact and enable his daughter, he must be more than physically present—he must regularly be engaged and accessible when she needs parenting (Lamb, 2010). According to Marriage and Family Therapy expert Scot Allgood, active involvement is characterized by a father’s engagement, accessibility, and responsibility. Engagement measures the quantity and quality of direct interaction a father has with his daughter. Accessibility is the
father’s availability to his daughter physically, emotionally, and psychologically. Finally, responsibility is defined as the degree to which the father provides appropriate care for his daughter (Allgood, 2012). Because the concept of active involvement is not prominent in our society, many fathers lack a sense of responsibility and duty to their daughter. As a result, they forego the opportunity to effectively influence their daughter. This research paper will explore the effect of a father’s active involvement on his daughter’s self-esteem. Self-esteem is the positive or negative evaluation one has about their personal worth and effectiveness (Smith, 2007). The connotations of self-esteem are diverse, so we propose to narrow our scope to three aspects of self-esteem: confidence in relating with others, particularly peers; perceived need to fulfill specific gender roles instead of expressing herself; and sense of competence, specifically in education and occupation. Watson asserts in her He for She speech, “I’ve seen my father’s role as a parent being valued less by society despite my needing his presence as a child as much as my mother’s” (Watson, 2014). Watson’s observation is true for fathers throughout society. This research paper will demonstrate to fathers the importance of their active involvement in their daughter’s development. In doing so, we aim to enable fathers so that they will have both the motivation and the knowledge necessary to play a more active role in their daughters’ lives, develop meaningful father-daughter relationships, and positively influence their self-esteem. Every father needs to know that his involvement in his daughter’s life greatly influences her self-esteem, specifically her confidence in relationships with peers, in herself, and in her capabilities.