A confident woman is an amalgamation of defiance and independence- the two things that society has prohibited for women. To raise daughters as confident women you need to first understand how to make your daughter confident. But before we start let’s look at the challenges.
We live in a society where women are either considered the reputation of the family or a shame for society. A confident woman is a threat to the society that believes in confining women like the bird in golden cage, who is always at the target of the nozzle of patriarchal expectations. But let us also not forget that confident women are the epitome of the strength that women have in breaking stereotypes and achieving what they want in life. They are the torch bearer for the entire womankind who is waiting for a damsel to rescue them.
But how can women be confident in a society that merges submission with their gender?
The answer to this is a feminist upbringing.
As parents, you need to focus on how to make your daughter confident. Every parent should ensure that their daughters understand their self-worth and that they settle for nothing less than preserving their self-respect, and ambition.
So here are a few ways to help you with how to make your daughter confident.
1. Never stop them from dreaming big and aiming high
It is common in our society to believe that women should always be under the proverbial Lakshman Rekha drawn by patriarchy. Their lives and bodies are controlled by patriarchal mindsets that don’t allow women to dream or aim high and take charge of their lives.
But parents need to defy this sort of upbringing of daughters. As parents, you need to set your daughters free to aim big and achieve every dream they weave in life. You need to encourage them to be determined about their dreams and goals so that later when it comes to implications, they don’t hesitate to follow their dreams with heads held high.
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2. Educate them
Many families, irrespective of the class they belong to, put certain restrictions on the education of daughters.
Complete your higher education and get married. Complete your graduation and get married. We don’t have time and patience for you to complete PhD before marriage. The list goes on.
In fact, research has proved that the female literacy rate in our country, which is 60% is 22% lower than the world’s average. But to make your daughter confident, it is imperative to educate them as much as they want. Education will not only help them gain knowledge about the world but also about themselves, their rights, and freedom.
3. Don’t let them feel inferior to anyone
In a society where women are always reminded about their lower status compared to men, every daughter must be taught about gender equality. An educated woman has the understanding that they are not inferior to any person or gender. And to help your daughter gain this confidence, be their greatest support system in empowering them.
4. Let them have their dream job
In our society, women are rarely allowed to work and earn. The conception is that a woman’s duty is to become a wife, not a CEO. And this is the reason why female participation in workforce dwindles to 25.1% in India, one of the lowest in the world. But a feminist upbringing of a daughter is the key to changing this disparity. Encourage their daughters to earn their own money and be financially independent, even if they don’t need it.
5. Let them choose the career they want
As parents, do not make decisions on behalf of your daughters about which career is suitable for their gender. Allow your daughters to achieve whatever they aim for rather than reminding them that some fields of career are reserved for men. We all know that financial independence is the most powerful weapon to strike down every criticism and opposition in society. And so, women must achieve that goal.
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6. Don’t enforce marriage as their destiny
Marriage is an important part of life but only for those who want a married life. It is very common for parents to worry about their daughters’ marriage and this worry only increases with their age. Parents want to preserve their daughters from society’s criticism that despite striking the marriageable age, if a woman is not married, there must be some fault in her.
But dear parents, just because society judges women based on their marital status, you cannot deprive your daughters of their right to choose how they want their future to be. The choice to marry should always be of the daughters. Refrain from meddling and forcing them to leave everything, get married and be upheld in society’s scrutinizing eyes. The freedom to choose will further empower your daughter to not bow down when anyone attempts to force them into doing something.
Conclusion: How To Make Your Daughter Confident
The basis of the upbringing of every daughter should be allowing them the freedom to choose what they want in their life. Never enforce anything on her and impart them with the strength to fight every hurdle that comes their way. Understanding how women are not less than anyone is the first step towards how to make your daughter confident. Make your daughters bold, independent and defiant so that they never internalize that their gender is not worth touching the sky.
Summary: How To Make Your Daughter Confident
