On International Daughter's Day, successful women talk all things empowerment

Valiancy, confidence and ambitiousness are some of the traits that parents should inculcate in their daughters, according to successful women of the region.

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These women also called for men, of all age groups, to be educated and make society safe for everyone.

Speaking on the occasion of International Daughter's Day, these women argued that all citizens, besides expressing love, gratitude and appreciation to their daughters, should also play an active role in creating a safe and dignified space for all women.

“Undoubtedly, our women are getting stronger by the day. However, now it is time for men to be educated about making our society safe,” said Dr Jyoti Hindi, when asked what parents should do for their daughters.

Dr Jyoti said her family took pride in having confident and strong-minded women.

“For my daughter, I set an example of a strong woman both at home and at the workplace so that my daughter can learn to face challenges with confidence,” Dr Jyoti added.

Madhavi Kataria, an IAS officer and former Director (Social Security and Child Development), Punjab, encouraged parents to try to dilute the patriarchal approach while dealing with their sons and daughters.

“On this day, parents need to reorient themselves against patriarchy and nurture an attitude of equality and equity between their sons and daughters. It is parents who need to create a nondiscriminatory environment in their minds and hearts. This might just suffice for girls to flourish,” said Kataria.

Dr Shalina Mehta, a social anthropologist, said, “Let them be their own person, don’t curb their inner voice.”

Deputy Commissioner Pallavi called upon parents to exhort their daughters to compete with their male counterparts at local and global levels.

“Instead of attempting to accomplish our own dreams through our daughters, we should identify their talent and nurture it,” the DC said.

Government personnel should view the area under their jurisdiction as an extended family and implement government policies for the welfare of women in letter and spirit, she added.

Police Inspector Gurpreet Kaur said it was due to the persistent motivation by her parents that she had chosen a career rarely adopted by women.

“Earlier, I was working as a lecturer . However, I wanted to work for the protection of the rights of women and the elderly. After finding out about my ambition, my parents not only motivated me to try appearing in police examinations, they rescheduled their daily chores to facilitate my preparations,” Kaur added.