The South Asian culture is rich and diverse and has many strengths to it, however today we will explore how it can affect women growing up in their families and relationships. When girls are not appreciated, it can leave them dealing with low mood, poor mental health and self-worth. All this can be avoided when we work to create an environment where they are celebrated and made to feel just as worthy and important as boys and men. Statistics say Asian women are more at risk of suffering from mental health issues than Caucasian women in the UK. Even in the western world, the culture can impact them. Why is this this and what factors influence this?
Daughters play such a pivotal part in families and are often the backbone of the love, compassion and support they give to others, but sometimes it can come at the expense of them neglecting their own needs. We need to change the way girls and women are viewed and brought up to create a healthier and more equal environment, where they also grow to feel nurtured and cared for too. This has a massive impact on their self-esteem and how they view themselves. The inner confidence that is gained when having the support of their families plays a big impact on how they live their lives and any big decisions they go on to make.
Stereotype of daughters
Typically, daughters in South Asian cultures are expected to be a certain way or abide by certain rules that their families will also be happy with. Sometimes it can also be different from guys as they may not have the freedom men can enjoy. Boys can get away with more and girls may have had to deal with more harsher consequences if they didn’t follow the rules. This can be anything from having set curfews, even when older and being able to have relationships outside of marriage.
This lack of independence and freedom can also stunt a woman’s self-growth and ability to believe in herself. Sometimes even a simple decision as moving out can become a big issue if parents don’t agree with it, and daughters may find themselves feeling stifled in an environment where every move is monitored. Many women, even in today’s world can find it hard to be honest to their parents about their plans when meeting friends or with relationships and feel the pressure to hide them until they are ready to make a commitment.
This can put a lot of stress of women especially, if the relationship breaks down and they are not able to have the support afterwards from their family. Another way women and girls can be affected is by not being able to focus more on their careers and expected to settle down and have children by a certain age. If they have not reached these milestones by a certain age, they may face a lot of prejudice and questioning on why they have made these choices, and it can leave them feeling quite low and disheartened.
If women cannot follow their passion in the same way a man can, it shows how much patriarchy and sexism within families can impact the lives of girls. Another thing women can struggle with is making time for themselves and meeting their own needs, rather than having to focus on their families or partners, or children. In the Asian culture, this pressure can be amplified as women may feel an additional pressure or burden to be there for others and serve as a way to earn love and acceptance in families.
As there can be differences in how parents bring up their male and female children, the girls may grow up feeling like they must prove their worth to them to feel fully accepted. This earning of love is conditional and has a big impact on their mental wellbeing, as they don’t feel they receive the unconditional love boys and men can get even as they get older.
What can we do to change this?
Changing this would mean going back to basics and bringing both girls and boys up in an equal way so they do not feel different. Girls need to be brought up with the same respect and care as boys, and more importantly be made to feel valued and appreciated in the same way. The love and understanding they receive will have such a wonderful impact on their own mental wellbeing.
The change will start from parents and families themselves, who should open themselves up to more awareness of how they treat their children and what expectations they place on them from a young age. Becoming more aware of the natural differences between boys and girls can also help as they will have different needs and wants.
Being sensitive to this and thinking about how girls generally are impacted by society and their environment whilst growing up, and how they can be there to support them will also be helpful. Girls and women have so many strengths in their own unique ways that are different to men, but instead of seeing one gender as more superior to the other, let us see both as strong in their own ways. Let us celebrate these attributes that make women so powerful and special. With time, there is always scope to improve things and the change will start with us.
Written By Dee
