Can An Indian Daughter In Law Ever Be Considered Equal To A Daughter?

Posted: November 30, 2017

Tags:daughters patriarchy violence against women

We often deny daughters in law the opportunities and choices that we encourage our daughters in. We need equality for all if there is to be a real change!

A woman can be strong, compliant, reliable, caring, a multi-tasker and can boast of many other qualities. The world can be said to be born of a woman.

A woman is the backbone of the society as well as her home. A daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, an aunt, a sister-in-law, a mother-in-law… she handles thousands of responsibilities with ease. Always raring to go, she handles everything with great aplomb, but the appreciation she deserves is often not there. Her untiring efforts are very rarely, fully appreciated.

People are always of the opinion that a wife, a mother, is primarily a homemaker, and therefore she has it easy. She is seldom given priority in various decision making processes at home. What goes into running the house and looking after the children, no one understands, or thinks is of any great consequence. Especially if she is a daughter-in-law.

Isn’t this hypocrisy? On one hand they want their daughters to lead a happy, independent life; on the other hand they discourage their daughter-in-law from pursuing the same.

This mindset is deep rooted. But with time the scenario has evolved and changed to a large extent. With the onset of broader horizons, people are recognising the potential of women and now women are everywhere, professionally and personally reaching newer heights. There are glaring examples of successful women who have struggled, learnt, fought and reached the top. The life of a woman is a continuous struggle. It’s a daunting process to achieve the mental stability that a woman possesses in spite of all the odds.

Though our society is changing and looking up to newer mindsets, and acknowledges a woman for her efforts at home and at work, it still has a long way to go. Most of this empowerment is in urban, educated India. In the interior regions of our country, the social stigmas associated with women are very rampant, and they are much more vulnerable.

I hope that there comes a much awaited change and society opens its arms to women as they do to men. I hope that equality be achieved to the core some time in the future. Why not start it from home itself… it’s high time to think and act!

Image source: Vimeo

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