Female artists in country music have long been fighting to have their voices heard in parity with their male counterparts. And the tides are changing: 2018 marks the first year that the network CMT has chosen to honor women — and women only — in its annual Artists of the Year television special.

While female artists were the sole honorees at the Oct. 17 event, certain men did show up to cheer them on, including Dierks Bentley, who brought a very special date. Bentley was accompanied by his 9-year-old daughter Evalyn, making a powerful (and adorable) statement about the future being female.

Women in Country Music Are Banding Together ... It's Time for a Revolution:

Little Evie has stepped into this sphere before, with an especially poignant moment happening two years ago when she took on Elle King's vocal part live for Bentley's sensitive ballad "Different for Girls" during a show in Indianapolis.

Watch Dierks Bentley and Daughter Evie Sing Together

Evie is Bentley's oldest child; he and wife Cassidy also have a younger daughter, Jordan, and a son, Knox.

The CMT event, held in Nashville Oct. 17, celebrated the talents of such artists as Carrie UnderwoodMiranda LambertMaren MorrisKelsea Ballerini, Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman of Little Big Town and Hillary Scott from Lady Antebellum.

See More CMT Artists of the Year Red Carpet Pictures:

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