00:07These were the words of Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandibain Patel speaking at the 41st convocation
00:13of Chhatrapati Shahudi Maharaj University.
00:15Ironically at the very convocation, women won nearly 82% of the medals.
00:20Among them were future civil servants, doctors, lawyers, scientists and entrepreneurs, young
00:25women being celebrated for academic excellence.
00:36At first glance Patel's remarks may sound like a message about family values.
00:40Motherhood is undoubtedly important.
00:43But here's the thing, why is this expectation still framed primarily for women?
00:47Would we ever tell young men at convocation to first become expert fathers before becoming
00:52IS officers or doctors?
01:05What makes Patel's remarks particularly striking is her own story.
01:09She grew up at a time when very few women pursued higher education.
01:13She was one of the only three girls in her school, later the only woman in her BSc class before
01:18becoming a teacher and eventually Gujarat's first and so far only woman chief minister.
01:23Her political journey itself began after she jumped into a reservoir to rescue two school
01:27girls from drowning during a school picnic earning the President's Prairie Award.
01:31Over the years Patel has also spoken passionately about women's issues.
01:35In 2016, she was moved to tears after listening to a speech on female foeticide, which is why
01:40her latest remarks feel like a contradiction.
01:47Researchers call this the second shift or mental load, the unpaid care work and household
01:52responsibilities women often continue to shoulder alongside their careers.
01:57Women still spend significantly more time than men on unpaid work globally, raising questions
02:02about whether responsibilities at home are truly shared equally.
02:18This is also not the first time Patel's comments on women has sparked debate.
02:22In October 2025, she warned women against live-in relationships, saying they could end up being
02:27cut into 50 pieces, a remark widely criticised for invoking gruesome crimes while discussing
02:32women's choices.
02:33Earlier in 2018, she suggested that some urban women avoid breastfeeding because they feared
02:38it would affect their appearance and criticised bottle feeding in comments that also drew controversy.
02:43What do you think?
02:44Let us know in the comments.
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