Who Is This Harry Potter Girl, and Why Is She Speaking at the UN?

Emma Watson, once again, has cast a spell over social media. This time, however, it is not for graduating from college or appearing at a fashion show. Instead, she is at a significantly less fashionable location, filled less with glitz and glam and more with globalism and glasnost. Yes, I am speaking of the United Nations.

In light of the UN launch of the HeForShe campaign, Watson gave an endearing speech filled with the rhetoric and demands common to gender-inequality talks. Indeed, she calls for equal payment, bodily autonomy/abortion rights (might I mention it was the only demand to receive a rousing applause), equal representation in politics, and social respect for women. (See the full speech here.)

Sprinkled amid the appeals sparkles an unnoticed diamond—the importance of fathers. Yes, the “formal invitation” Watson extended to men to participate in the gender-equality campaign is noble, needed, and unrealized. She then proceeded to explain why gender inequality was not simply a female issue but also a male’s domain. After listing several ways men are limited by stereotypical macho-ism, Watson took a stab at the undervalued role of men in the family. “Because to date, I have 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.”

Thank you, Emma Watson, for underlining the importance of the father in the home. Too often we hear the message that men are expendable, unnecessary for the flourishing of children. Now, bursting forth from behind enemy lines, fathers are being defended and upheld.

Not convinced? Check out a list of statistics and studies on the importance of fathers here. Below are a few of my favorites:

1. Girls with strong relationships with their fathers do better in mathematics. [Radin, N., and Russell, G., 1983, “Increased Father Participation and Child Development Outcomes,” in Fatherhood and Family Policy, edited by M.E. Lamb and A. Sagi, Hillside, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum, pp. 191–218.]
2. Boys with actively involved fathers tend to get better grades and perform better on achievement tests.[Biller, H.B. 1993, Fathers and Families: Paternal Factors in Child Development, Westport, CT: Auburn House.]
3. Highly involved fathers also contribute to increased mental dexterity in children, increased empathy, less stereotyped sex role beliefs and greater self-control.
 [Abramovitch, H. 1997. Images of the “Father” in The Role of the Father in Child Development. M.E. Lamb, Ed., New York: John Wiley & Sons.]