Men have parents, but women have owners

Blog | Adolescent psychology

“Men have parents, but women have owners.”

And as a psychologist, this line hit me hard.

Because if we look closely — it’s not just a statement, it’s a reflection of how our conditioning works.

Men are rarely forced to “leave” their parents. They grow, they move out for work maybe, but their emotional belonging remains intact. Their identity stays connected to their home, their roots.

But for women, marriage often means leaving behind everything familiar — her home, her comfort, sometimes even her sense of self.

Since childhood, girls are taught lines like:

  • “Yeh tumhara ghar nahi, tum toh parayi ho.”
  • “Learn household work, you’ll need it in your in-laws’ house.”

It’s not parenting, it’s training for separation.

Psychologist Carol Gilligan once said,

“Women’s development has always been about connection, yet society teaches them disconnection.”

And that’s exactly what happens — she learns to love deeply, yet is asked to detach easily.

So yes, men often have parents — emotionally, socially, and psychologically. But women? They are expected to belong everywhere yet own nowhere.

It’s not about blaming — it’s about acknowledging that emotional reality. Because healing starts from recognition.


#Psychology #GenderPerspective #MentalHealth #WomenEmpowerment #SocialConditioning #EmotionalAwareness #PsychologistRani