No, September 28th is Not National Sons Day
Our journey begins in the summer of 1992. President Marie C. Wilson and treasurer Daren Ball created Take Our Daughters to Work Day through their Ms. Foundation for Women with additional support from foundation founder Gloria Steinem. It was first celebrated on April 22, 1993, and was “intended to educate girls [8–12 years old] about different careers and help them feel confident.” [1] The holiday is celebrated annually on the 4th Thursday of April.
As early as 1995, some companies such as Amoco, Co. began to include boys in their celebrations. [2] In 1996, Alza Corp. in Palo Alto, CA did the same. Chevron Corp. even went so far as to alternate between sons and daughters each year; on June 27th, 1996, they sponsored a “Take Our Sons To Work Day” instead of the daughter alternative. [3]
Similarly, in 1996, “a group of students attending Columbia Middle School in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey” founded National Sons Day, an organization (not a holiday) whose “goal was to create and promote a Take Our Sons to Work Day similar to the already popular Take Our Daughters to Work Day.” [4]
These students, including executive director Daniel Ackermann, [5] wanted Take Our Sons to Work Day to provide an equal opportunity for sons to join their parent(s) at work. One of the suggested activities for organizations to include is “a program detailing the strides made by women in the world of work within the company.” Additionally, the National Sons Day group even encourages organizations to also participate in Ms. Foundation for Women’s Take Our Daughters to Work Day. [6] Likewise, the Ms. Foundation supports Take Our Sons to Work Day. [7] In fact, Ms. Foundation even offered their expertise to help create a son-friendly counterpart. [8]
Take Our Sons to Work Day events happened on the first Thursday in May from 1996 to at least 2001, the last year their website was updated.
In 2003, amid mounting pressure, the Ms. Foundation for Women renamed their Take Our Daughters to Work Day to a more inclusive Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day and it has been celebrated ever since. [9]
In 2018, Jill Nico declared March 4th to be National Sons Day around the same time that Daughter’s Day was celebrated. You can hear her story in her own words here.
We’ve done extensive research trying to find the source of confusion regarding the September 28th “National Sons Day.” A common mistake is confusing the organization behind Take Our Sons to Work Day as an actual event. Since that organization was named “National Sons Day,” it has led to misattribution and confusion. Additionally, multiple groups and organizations were simultaneously trying to create their own counterpart to Take Our Daughters to Work Day, leading to confusion over both the name and date. In addition to those already mentioned, there was a National Sons Day (name not finalized) tentatively planned for October 20th, 1996. However, disagreement among organizers over a name and theme caused the idea to be called off. [8]
In summary, false, unverifiable information spreads like wildfire. The same can be true with holidays. The team at Checkiday.com has worked tirelessly for over a decade to vet, research, and verify thousands of holidays, just like this one! We are proud to use an abundance of primary and secondary sources, and our information is trusted by some of the largest and most reputable companies and news outlets in the world. We are proud and honored that Checkiday has become the world’s most complete and trusted holiday resource.
Did we miss something? If you have any reputable sources to prove us wrong, we’d love to hear from you below in the comments!
References:
- https://www.newspapers.com/image/227042316/?terms=%22national%20sons%20day%22&match=1
- https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1995-04-25-9504250285-story.html
- https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Daughters-Day-foes-call-it-divisive-patronizing-3154794.php
- https://web.archive.org/web/20010121125100fw_/http://pages.prodigy.com/Sons_Day/about.htm
- https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1998/05/04/but-how-does-she-fit-this-guy-into-her-prom-scrapbook/
- https://web.archive.org/web/20010121190600fw_/http://pages.prodigy.com/Sons_Day/progdes.htm
- https://www.newspapers.com/image/311061680/?terms=%22national%20sons%20day%22&match=1
- https://www.newspapers.com/image/99352552/?terms=%22national%20sons%20day%22&match=1
- https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Family/daughters-sons-work-day-facts/story?id=54724728
