Admit it or not, we still live in a society that is largely patriarchal. We live in a society where sons are still looked upon as the sole responsibility-bearers, the bread-winners, the care-takers; and daughters are looked down at as a burden the family can’t wait to get rid of. And in this society just being born a daughter feels wrong from the very beginning.

Most parents are so displeased at a girl’s birth that she has to give a 110 percent all her life in an attempt to get the slightest hint of approval. She has to work really hard to make sure the society is not more disappointed at her than it already is. She has to watch every step she takes and think at least ten times before she takes an important leap in her life so that she is no more a burden than the world deems her to be. But, nothing she does ever adds up. Nothing is ever enough because she is a woman—a second class citizen.

A woman’s capability is always undermined. The parents or teachers never really bestow upon her any expectation when it comes to academic performance or career orientation. She is not expected to fix anything around the house, or bring in money to ease up the financial status of the family. She is neither expected to take care of her parents, nor is she expected to accommodate them when they are old and sick. She is never expected to be rich or famous or just capable of making any difference.

We live in a society that is highly tech-oriented. We have made so much progress when it comes to science and technology, yet when it comes to gender roles we haven’t moved forward.

A woman is still expected to clean and cook, raise kids, look after and fulfill her husband’s emotional and physical needs. She is expected to clip her wings so that she can help someone else in her life fly.

Parents raise a daughter with the preconceived notion that she has to be ‘married off’ to another family and hence train her to become a people-pleaser. A woman’s capability as a human being is so often judged on how good a house-maker she is.

As a woman, I am bound to question—Is my gender all that defines me? Is it all that I should I aspire to become? Should I not aspire to have a highly rewarding career that allows me to comfortably take care of my parents in their old age? Should I not aspire to acquire skills and education that help me lead an independent life with or without a husband?

Should I not aspire to be more and do more than what is expected of me traditionally?

Personally, I feel like I can compete with men in any field. All I need is enough practice and perseverance. I can be responsible for my family’s finances, all I need is a little confidence and trust on my parent’s end. I don’t want to stay home passively when my future husband brings in all the money, I want to share the load, I want to share the responsibility, and I want to share the roles.

Women could go a long way; all they need is a solid support system and enough opportunities.

Let us start where we stand. Let’s encourage our friends and family to treat young girls like they’d treat young boys. Only when people start placing the same faith in girls like they do in boys, will the society be able to raise independent women who can lead the world alongside men. Let’s not allow girls to believe that they are lesser than boys.

Parents need to tell their daughters that the ultimate goal of their life is not to be a house-maker and a people-pleaser. Teachers need to start asking the girls tougher questions. Employers need to believe that the woman they are hiring is as capable of being in a leadership position as the man they hired. Men need to support their women counterparts in contributing to the family income. And young girls and women themselves need to believe that they are capable of doing what boys and men do.

Goyal is a BBA student at College of Applied Business