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

Actress Raveena Tandon recently shared insights into the pivotal role fathers play in nurturing confident and independent daughters. In an interview with The Pink Table, she remarked, "I do believe that behind every successful, progressive daughter, there's a very progressive father. He gives her those feet to stand on and those wings to fly and says, go take it." While acknowledging the strength of mothers, Tandon highlighted how a strong paternal influence often goes unrecognized.

Gurleen Baruah, an existential psychotherapist at That Culture Thing, delves deeper into the impact of a father's support. She states, "The presence of a supportive, progressive father becomes one of the earliest mirrors through which a daughter learns to exist with dignity. When a father treats his daughter as a free, thinking being rather than an extension of his pride or societal expectations, he cultivates a core sense of self rooted in autonomy."

This intrinsic trust, she explains, empowers a daughter to make choices, learn from mistakes, and aspire to her fullest potential.

Baruah emphasizes that while maternal influence is undeniably crucial, a father's encouragement has a unique psychological impact on a daughter's self-esteem and worldview. "A father’s role is not only in how he fathers, but in how he partners: when a daughter witnesses her father treat her mother with respect, equality, and emotional presence, it teaches her what to expect and demand from the world.

His regard for the mother becomes a template for how she sees her own worth - not something to be negotiated, but something intrinsic," Baruah elaborates.

The emotional climate within a family, shaped by a father's actions and words, also plays a significant role. Tactful respect for women, dignity in disagreements, and the normalization of tenderness as strength rather than weakness are all critical components. Baruah concludes, "In this way, a father’s belief in his daughter - modeled not just through praise, but through the relationships she observes - builds a core self that knows how to stand, speak, and belong without apology."