‘Lot of us are daddy’s girls’: Raveena Tandon on the role fathers play in raising confident daughters

Raveena Tandon, the renowned actress, once shared her insights on the role fathers play in raising confident and independent daughters. In an old interview with The Pink Table, she emphasized that behind every successful, progressive daughter, there is often a very progressive father. Tandon explained that these fathers provide their daughters with the foundation they need to pursue their ambitions and lead lives free from prejudice.

However, Tandon also acknowledged the strength of mothers and added that many of them are just as strong as the fathers she spoke of. Her comments sparked a conversation about the impact of paternal support on a daughter's self-esteem, ambition, and sense of freedom.

Gurleen Baruah, an existential psychotherapist, delved into the significance of a supportive and progressive father in a daughter's life. According to Baruah, a father's presence becomes an early mirror for a girl, teaching her to exist with dignity. A father who relates to his daughter not as an extension of his pride or societal expectations, but as a free and thinking being, helps build a core sense of self rooted in autonomy.

Baruah emphasized that this trust - the assurance that a daughter is allowed to choose, to err, and to aspire - lays the groundwork for true confidence. This confidence is not just about achieving success but about moving through the world with the self-awareness that her existence does not need to be justified.

While maternal influence is undeniably crucial, Baruah posited that a father's encouragement may have a unique psychological impact on a daughter's self-esteem and worldview. She explained that a father's role extends beyond his parenting style; it is also about how he partners with the mother. When a daughter sees her father treating his mother with respect, equality, and emotional presence, she learns what to expect and demand from the world.

This template for self-worth, not something to be negotiated but intrinsic, is shaped by the father's regard for his partner.

Baruah further stressed that a father's words of encouragement are essential, but his everyday actions carry even more weight. A daughter internalizes the emotional climate she grows up in, observing whether women's voices are heard, disagreements are met with dignity, and tenderness is equated with strength rather than weakness.

In this way, a father's belief in his daughter - reflected not just through praise, but in the relationships he models - builds a core self that knows how to stand, speak, and belong without apology.