Strength in Support: Why women flourish when families stand beside them

Richa works as an Assistant Manager in a company. As soon as her alarm rings at five in the morning, her hectic life begins. She gets up, prepares the children, gives them their tiffin, and sends them to school. She then packs tiffin for herself and her husband, gets dressed, and leaves home in a hurry for the office. She sets reminders on her mobile for 1 PM, 3 PM, and 5 PM. Out of her busy schedule, she calls at 1 PM to ask the house helper if the children have arrived home safely. At 3 PM, she calls to remind the children to go to their tuition classes, and at 5 PM, she calls again to instruct them to go out and play. When she returns home at night, she arrives carrying vegetables. After quickly changing her clothes, she rushes straight into the kitchen to cook dinner.

After cooking dinner, feeding everyone, and checking on the children's studies, it is 12 midnight by the time she finally goes to sleep. Sometimes, she cannot even sleep thinking that she has to wake up again at five in the morning, and within this turmoil, her creativity is dying. Her colleagues get promoted every year, but she has been stuck in the exact same position for the past three years. The only reason is that her husband and mother-in-law at home insist on eating food cooked only by her hands. Furthermore, she receives no support from anyone in any task, from the children's education to household chores.

On the other hand is Disha. She is the CEO of a multinational company. She also leaves home at 9 AM, but in a completely peaceful state of mind. As morning arrives, her husband and other family members lend a hand with small household chores. They serve themselves tea, breakfast, and other items. Her husband handles everything regarding when the children reach home and what they are doing. In the evening, the children's grandfather takes them to the park, and Disha works on her tasks in an entirely calm environment.

Although we claim to have made great progress and assert that gender-based discrimination has ended in society, you will find countless Richas around you who are victims of this discrimination. Outwardly, they are well-settled and have everything, but it is a form of discrimination in itself that all household work must be done solely by the woman. The responsibility of children must be borne only by the woman. I shared these two stories with you because this is the state of working women in our society—and the condition of housewives is even far worse than this. Poor housewives work day and night at household chores, and in return, all they get to hear is, “What even do you do all day?”

The roots of gender-based discrimination in society are long and deep. Prior to the 18th century, women were treated as second-class citizens. It was believed that a woman’s brain was inferior to a man’s and that she could never match a man in terms of capability. Restrictions were even imposed on her acquiring an education. However, in the 19th century, society’s attitude towards women softened somewhat.

In the 20th century, society’s outlook towards women evolved further. Distinctions between women and men began to be recognized as wrong in society, and women began to be viewed with respect alongside slogans advocating the right to equality. An increase in educational opportunities for women was witnessed, and schools were established with the objective of providing girls with an education equal to that of boys.

As the literacy rate among women grew, women's participation expanded into various other fields as well. Alongside education, women's contributions increased in health, the corporate world, politics, social work, governance, and economics.

In our country, in 1971, only 22% of Indian women were literate, and by the end of 2001, this figure increased to 54.16%. Between 1981 and 2001, the growth rate of female literacy was considerably faster than that of male literacy. Female literacy increased by 11% between the 2001 and 2011 censuses, rising from 54.16% to 65.46%. The highest literacy rate is in Kerala at 92.0%, while the lowest is in Rajasthan at 52.67%.

However, despite becoming so educated, the tragedy after all these years is that a woman was still not accepted in her true womanhood. Instead, to carve out a place for her own existence in society, a woman was forced to become like a man and compelled to perform male-centric roles. But the truth is that a woman is best adorned by the very nature—tenderness, modesty, delicacy, motherly affection, love, compassion, sensitivity, sacrifice, dedication, patience, humility, wisdom, self-respect, discretion, spirit of service, endurance, courage, and creativity—with which the Almighty created her.

The role of women in the family has historically been the foundation of the social structure. Traditionally, women have been viewed as the primary caregivers and nurturers within the family, responsible for raising children, managing domestic work, and providing emotional support.

However, over time, as the internal dynamics of families took new shapes, women's roles expanded further. She now has to fulfill a dual role: that of a working professional and a homemaker, as you just read in Richa's story.

A conflict arises between the roles she fulfills as a homemaker (mother, daughter-in-law, wife) on one side and as a productive worker on the other side. It is true that a woman faces immense pressure between work and family, and this very pressure negatively impacts the physical and mental health of countless women who are called empowered and self-reliant. This happens because society views them on par with men physically and emotionally, looking beyond their womanhood. She herself fears expressing this pressure before others because society has sown the seeds of a mindset over many years that she must be strong, tough, and capable of swallowing her grief. Stories from 75% of households reveal that working women and homemakers alike suppress their emotions, their desires, and their womanhood, bearing the weight of this pressure just to show themselves as equal to men or as empowered women.

When a woman enters a new home after marriage, she carries out every small and big responsibility as her duty. Yet the irony is that even after years pass, she is repeatedly made to feel that this home is not truly hers. While the entire burden of household management and duties is placed upon her shoulders, she is deprived of necessary support, respect, and a sense of belonging. Crushed under the weight of domestic chores and other obligations, she often finds herself isolated. Her efforts and household work are neither appreciated, nor are her dreams and talents encouraged.

The most painful situation occurs when her spouse, instead of becoming an emotional support, disregards her feelings. In such circumstances, a woman begins to feel lonely not just physically, but also on mental and emotional levels. Even during extremely sensitive phases like pregnancy, they fail to receive mental peace and emotional support, which adversely affects their mental health. In the continuous absence of support, she begins to believe that being a woman simply means quietly enduring every hardship and sacrificing her existence for the family. As a result, her talent, skills, education, career, and personal dreams get left behind. Her dreams perish under the weight of circumstances and neglect, whereas even a little support from the family could have given her the opportunity to develop her personality alongside her responsibilities.

Society loses a capable writer, teacher, doctor, social worker, and an exceptional mother when a woman begins living with mental stress and a lack of self-confidence. This proves to be a loss not just for one woman, but for the entire society. Just as rain transforms a barren land into a lush green haven, breathes life into a dry river, and wraps the mountains in a blanket of beauty through waterfalls, a woman may possess talent, wisdom, and courage within her from birth—but their development and beauty flourish through the support of the family with whom she lives.

If the family provides an open sky of trust, respect, and support, a woman has the capacity to give direction not only to her own life, but to the entire society. Her talent does not bloom solely through her personal efforts; it requires an environment to flourish where there is trust, where she is respected for being a woman, where there is meaningful communication, and above all, where there is support.

Family must understand that a woman's true empowerment does not lie in competing with men or abandoning her womanhood. She is truly empowered when she can establish a balance between her responsibilities and her dreams while preserving her natural qualities, values, and dignity. Tenderness, sensitivity, motherly love, patience, self-respect, and discretion are not her weaknesses—they are her greatest strengths. Therefore, it is the family's responsibility to accept her along with her womanhood, respect her decisions, appreciate her labor, and provide her with emotional support.

Teachings from Islam on Treating Women:

• The Prophet (S.A.W) said: "Treat women with kindness and goodness."
• He (S.A.W) also stated: "The best among you is the one who treats his family (especially his wife) the best, and I am the best among you in treating my family."

If the family recognizes and values the work of a woman that goes unseen—yet remains the most valuable—such as caring for the husband and elders, raising children, providing emotional support to other members, managing household chores, job, and career efforts, her self-confidence multiplies manifold. When she realizes that the home is not just her responsibility but every member's shared responsibility, she can raise her children even better, raising sensitive, dignified, disciplined, and responsible personalities in the coming generation who serve as milestones in the rebuilding of society. But when support is missing, talent fails to shine, fear takes root, and concentration in achieving excellence diminishes.

According to a 2026 survey, urban women who lacked family support were asked what they would have achieved had they received family encouragement and support. Some of their answers were as follows: Being educated, they would have worked to impart education to underprivileged children, pursued higher education themselves to expand their knowledge, and made efforts to bring about social change by eliminating social evils and malpractices.

Family support is the primary factor behind a woman's mental peace and freedom from pressure, and this has a direct positive impact on the children growing up in the household. It is the duty of family members to instill courage in a woman—whether she is a child, daughter, sister, wife, daughter-in-law, or mother—so that she can voice her thoughts without fear. She should not be expected to study like sons or hear phrases like "You are our son," but rather be told, "You are not a son, you are a daughter, and as a daughter, you must study and move forward." On making a mistake, a daughter should receive guidance rather than humiliation, and she should be treated in keeping with her gentle nature so that she can fearlessly climb the ladder of success at every step.

When a husband provides security and support to a woman, her talent develops extraordinarily. She does not drop out of her education midway, her dreams of improving herself and society do not fade from her eyes, and she does not lose her dignity and womanhood; instead, she lives a peaceful life with her own unique identity. God has created woman with specific and special qualities, and it is the husband's duty to accept her in that very form.

Divine Guidance from the Quran:

They (your wives) are a garment for you, and you are a garment for them." [Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:187]

Here, 'garment' symbolizes protection, honor, and mutual support.

The support of a husband and family is as essential for a woman as a mother's role is in a child's development. Through support alone, a woman elevates her personality to new heights, her self-confidence strengthens, her decision-making ability develops, she learns to lead, acquires new skills, plays a key role in solving problems, and becomes an inspiration for others—giving other women the courage to step forward upon seeing her.

She brings positive transformations to her thoughts, and whether as a writer or a speaker, she strives to bring change by reaching society with her knowledge and experience. There are hundreds of such examples where women have achieved extraordinary progress through the support of their families.

Speaking about myself, if it were not for the support of my family members and my husband, I perhaps could never have accomplished alone all the work I am doing today. I would not have been able to properly fulfill my duties as an organizational leader, teacher, writer, editor, and most importantly, a mother. My family did not merely give me permission; they stood by me in every struggle.

I believe that support is the true strength. When a woman achieves success, it is not merely an individual accomplishment, but becomes the proud identity of the family that embraced a culture of trust, respect, and partnership.