Embracing Daughters : Challenging Societal Bias for a Better Tomorrow
Pragya Bhandari
Oct 29, 2024 29:56 AM
Daughters are equal in all respects to sons. But in practice, daughters are looked down in the society. Need of the hour is to challenge this practice for the progress of human civilisation. Here is a brief article on this topic.
Women have long endured various forms of disrespect and violence, often treated as secondary citizens or even as burdens. For generations, cultural norms have dictated that daughters are somehow lesser than sons, leading to an unequal and unjust world. Many families express a desire for daughters-in-law but not daughters of their own, ironically.
One stark example of this inequality is the dowry system, which places undue financial strain on families with daughters. Many Indian parents spend their entire lives accumulating savings to pay for dowries, elaborate wedding functions, and other expenses to fulfil these societal expectations. This financial burden is often felt as a hardship or even as a liability because, culturally, only the daughter’s family is expected to bear these costs. Why must such traditions place the burden on one family alone? Couldn’t the expenses of marriage ceremonies and celebrations be shared equally between the families of both the bride and groom? Instead, these misconceptions and rules prevent families from embracing the birth of daughters wholeheartedly, as they carry the weight of these outdated norms.
Moreover, some parents, in an attempt to empower their daughters, teach them to speak and behave in ways typically associated with boys. While this approach may be well-intentioned, using male-oriented language and behaviour can inadvertently reinforce the idea that females are somehow inferior to men and must adopt male characteristics to gain value. This mentality suggests that women must strive to imitate men to be considered worthy, perpetuating the very notion of gender inequality that we seek to dismantle.
It is essential to remember that these rules are societal constructs, not divine mandates. If society continues to devalue daughters, we risk a future with no daughters for sons to marry, no continuity for future generations, and eventually, the human species will struggle to survive. Women possess a unique ability to create and nurture life, and they should be revered, respected, and valued as remarkable beings, equally as sons are.
Ironically, Hindu culture venerates female deities, with goddesses like Lakshmi, Saraswati, and Durga embodying wealth, knowledge, and power, respectively, and worshiped by millions. Yet, many who pray to these goddesses may still hesitate to welcome a daughter into their own family, reflecting a troubling disconnect between belief and practice. Society seems blind to the beauty and strength inherent in women, leading one to wonder whether the divine might regret sending such pure souls into a world that fails to appreciate them.
Today, women are achieving success in every field, proving that they are capable of all that men can accomplish. Still, societal bias lingers, even in the 21st century. Daughters frequently care for their parents in old age, often more diligently than sons, despite having left their childhood homes. And yet, some families continue to believe that the birth of a son secures their future, with comments like, "You’ve given birth to a son; now you’re free." If it had been a girl, they imply, they would need to "try again" for a boy, reflecting a mindset that is sadly common. Even women do not understand the situation of each other.
One has to ask: if women do not support each other, who will? This bias isn’t a fault of the women themselves but of the misconceptions deeply rooted in society. Why must daughters be sent away upon marriage? Why can’t they remain in their family homes as sons do? Daughters should be allowed to stay in the family, equally responsible for carrying on the family legacy and providing for the parents at old age. They should not have to erase their connections by changing their surnames. Just like sons, daughters are a vital part of the family unit and deserve to be recognized and valued as such. These norms were never decreed by God; they were constructed by society, and society alone holds the power to change them.
It is high time to celebrate the birth of daughters, to welcome them with pride and acknowledge their invaluable place in the family. Daughters possess as much love, dedication, and potential as sons do, they spread word of love. If current attitudes do not change, society may one day resort to a bartering system where families "exchange" daughters as if they were commodities, giving one to get another for their sons to get married, ultimately facing a world with too few daughters to sustain the future.
People must strictly realize that the world cannot survive without women. Societies that force women to bear child after child in pursuit of a son, even at great financial and emotional cost, must awaken to the love and strength daughters bring to their lives. Let daughters breathe freely, without the burden of being undervalued or unwanted, so they can ultimately return to the divine, proclaiming that they have lived in a world where they were celebrated and cherished. We must embrace daughters for the world to thrive, if we don’t, we risk a future that is bleak and barren. Accept daughters, cherish their existence, and foster a universe that is truly worth living in.
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