Bindi Irwin on raising her daughter Grace to be an empowered woman

Bindi Irwin says she feels a sense of enormous responsibility to raise her daughter Grace to be an empowered woman as being a mum to a girl brings its own set of obstacles.

“MAMAMAMAMA.”

Our daughter has learnt to say “Mama” and “Dada”. When she wakes up in the morning and first sees my husband, Chandler, she softly coos “Dada”, but her “Mama” is reserved exclusively for when she needs something immediately (if not sooner), has finished her food or can’t reach a toy.

It’s very loud; repeated until it becomes one long word. And it makes me laugh. It’s nice to be needed. Personally, I think the definition of “Mama” should be changed to “the fixer and healer of all things”.

At nearly one, Grace has reached that stage where she’s crawling like it’s an Olympic sport and almost walking. Every day I marvel at the magic she finds in the ordinary – the containers in the cupboard, my hairbrush, a leaf in her crawling path.

Bindi Irwin with her daughter Grace. Picture: Australia Zoo

Her best friend is a 180kg giant tortoise named Igloo. They love spending time together and it’s hilarious.

Watching her take in the world around her is nothing short of beautiful. It’s easy to get caught up in life: figuring out her sleep routines, balancing work and being a mum, making batch No.347 of healthy veggies, hoping this time I got it right and she’ll actually eat them.

Chandler reminds me daily, or maybe hourly, to really enjoy and savour the little moments. He’s right; time flies by and every second is a precious gift.

Becoming a mother changes your perspective on life, and being a girl mum brings its own set of obstacles. I feel a sense of enormous responsibility to raise our daughter to be an empowered woman. And while the world is making strides with equality, let’s be honest, women deal with inequality on a daily basis.

Bindi Irwin is introducing her daughter to the wonders of their zoo. Picture: Australia Zoo

I want to give Grace the tools she will need to do anything that calls to her. Our Grace Warrior is a girl on a mission already, and I admire that. I also don’t want her to lose that.

It’s important to both me and Chandler that she goes through life knowing that she can undertake and accomplish anything she sets her mind to and works hard to achieve. She shouldn’t miss out on anything because of her gender.

Society seems to still be coming to terms with the idea of a strong woman, often labelled “bossy”, “loud” and even “bitchy”, while a strong man is labelled “powerful”, “in control” and “a good leader”.

In our field of conservation and wildlife work, things can feel quite male-dominated. But at Australia Zoo we’ve worked hard to create an equal environment with more than 50 per cent of our team and the majority of our upper management being women.

International Women’s Day is upon us, and gives the world an opportunity to reflect on and acknowledge the enormous impact women have made in shaping it. This is a celebration of women’s achievements, and should stand as a reminder to recognise our ability to change the world each and every day.

There are still tremendous steps to be taken to create an equal world. We have a long and important journey ahead.

Bindi Irwin appears on Celebrity Gogglebox Australia, airing now on Foxtel. To learn more about her wildlife conservation work, visit wildlifewarriors.com.au