By: Laiba Laraib
Every day, we hear the same words: “Listen daughter, we spent so much on your wedding. Gave so much in dowry. Now our responsibility is over.”
[“Beti, tumhari shaadi pe humne bohat kharcha kar diya. Jahez mein itna de diya. Ab tumhari zimmedari khatam.”]
But after the wedding, when the lights fade and the guests leave—where does that leave the woman?
In our society, a daughter is often told that her wedding expenses are her “share” of the family wealth. The furniture, the clothes, the dinner parties—all counted as her inheritance. But a few years later, when life gets hard, when her marriage faces storms, or when she simply wants to start a small business—she has nothing. No land. No savings. No capital in her name.
A woman without capital is like a bird without wings. She cannot leave a bad situation. She cannot say no when she is treated unfairly. She cannot build a future for her children on her own terms
We must separate “wedding expenses from a daughter’s rightful share”
(“shaadi ka kharcha from haq”). A daughter’s right to property—be it land, cash, or a home—is not a gift. It is her security. It is dignity.
Let’s not call our daughters “burden” (“bojh”) after giving them a feast. Give them their share. That is real love. That is real protection.
Because a happy woman is not one who was married off with gold—but one who knows she has something to fall back on. Her own capital. Her own power.
