My daughter is what most would describe as a typical nine-year-old girl. She is bold, strong-willed and not afraid to test boundaries. Quite often, I find myself in a flustered stalemate with her, likely because she inherits those attributes from me.

Under our same roof lives my mother, a woman whose spirit — even through the fog of Alzheimer’s disease — emanates the unrelenting will of a girl who escaped early marriage in India 65 years ago, pursued an education and then built a multi-faceted career, unlocking a new life for herself and endless possibilities for her future family.

Negotiation and persuasion effectively altered the lives of women in my family so, even in moments of mania-inducing frustration, I encourage and revere my daughter’s ability to be a force of nature.

The Power Of Negotiation

Recently, I met Kamla from India. Like my mother, she was pressured by her parents to marry at a young age and abandon her schooling. Only, she was presented with this fate roughly a decade ago as a pre-teen. Even after elevating her protests to the point of a hunger strike, Kamla’s parents wouldn’t listen to her appeals to continue her education. Then, something transformational happened. Kamla summoned what author Amy Cuddy refers to as presence — the ability to become so attuned to one’s own true thoughts, feelings, values and potential that you can articulate them clearly, even in high-pressure situations.

Kamla once again explained her passion to pursue an education and define her own future. They relented, and Kamla successfully negotiated her way out of a fate that her parents had chosen for her and took the first steps toward the untrodden path she hoped to chart for herself.

In my work as the CEO of Room to Read, I regularly see girls who benefit from lessons in life skills and consistent mentorship, channeling their inner fortitude and fighting to explore their potential. This often occurs in moments when they might easily be made to feel powerless against long-standing traditions, cultural biases and social pressures. These girls are not meant to be child brides or servants. They are discovering who they can become, summoning their voice and full presence and developing as pioneers in their communities, inspiring more girls to speak up.

But not every girl has help or encouragement to harness the strength that Kamla did. Past research shows that women — even with stakes much less cumbersome than child marriage — are less likely to negotiate, especially when it comes to negotiating for themselves and their own interests. More recent research (paywall) indicates that while more women may be asking for what they want, they are, unfortunately, still less likely to be successful in obtaining it than men.

The Need For Advocacy

With equal compensation and representation in leadership roles serving as common indicators of success for women, it is important that girls are not just learning technical skills to be employable but also actively advocating for themselves and what they believe to be fair and just. For the world to be a better place for girls, we need women to use their voices. Once this hurdle is cleared and girls are given a chance to explore who they might be and what change they can affect, the possibilities are endless — not just for them but for their communities and beyond.

Whether girls and women are fighting to secure and retain a seat in the classroom or boardroom or to make an informed choice about their futures, negotiation and effective communication skills are key. Often, an added element of persuasion, or more accurately pre-suasion, ensures the desired outcome. Author Robert Cialdini defines pre-suasion as “the process of arranging for recipients to be receptive to a message before they encounter it.” In Kamla’s case, her three-day hunger strike, albeit extreme, may have been the pre-suasion technique that allowed her parents to truly acknowledge how committed she was to her education.

I believe we are living in a time when women are collectively pre-suading society to listen and no longer tolerating injustice. With that continued drumbeat and the right toolkit, young women can ultimately influence external forces that create obstacles to their chosen path. By ensuring young women are cultivating the right skills through training, practice or mentorship, we are directly impacting their success rate in the workforce and in society.

Where You Come In

As leaders, regardless of our gender, it is incumbent upon us to venerate women who break the mold and celebrate their bravery. For those of us who are female leaders, we can lead by example and ostensibly advocate for ourselves and female colleagues when policies and practices disadvantage women. Here are a few additional actions we can take to champion the young women in our personal and professional communities:

• Strengthen the connections among women.

• Embrace mentoring moments, offering insight or support that may provide a needed boost of confidence or assurance.

• Negotiate communally. Acknowledge that each personal success is a collective victory for all.

• Encourage positive feelings about negotiation and a strong sense of self-worth.

  
  

This year’s International Day of the Girl reminded me of the endless opportunities that exist when girls and women around the world recognize the power within themselves and develop the confidence needed to influence critical decisions that affect our world. I keep this in mind every time my daughter digs her heels in and can’t help but notice my mother looking on with pride.

Originally published at https://www.forbes.com.