Husband Supports? ‘Wah, Kya Mard Hai!’ Wife Supports? ‘Bas, Uska Farz Hai.’ Why?

Imagine this: A man takes care of his own children, cooks a meal, or remembers an anniversary—and the world erupts in applause. Meanwhile, a woman does all of this daily, without a single nod of appreciation, because, well, that’s just what women do.

Let’s be real—when men contribute to a relationship beyond bringing home a paycheck, they’re practically knighted. But when women juggle work, home, and emotional labor, they’re just fulfilling their role. The hypocrisy is deafening.

Time to tear this illusion apart—one harsh truth at a time.

A husband packs his kid’s lunch and suddenly he’s a modern-day Renaissance Man. The bar for men is practically on the floor. Meanwhile, women juggle work, home, and emotional labor without even a passing acknowledgment.She forgets one PTA meeting? "Irresponsible mother." He shows up once in six months? "What a dedicated dad!"Make it make sense."For better or worse, in sickness and in health…" sounds beautiful, right? Except it turns out, in many households, this is just an unspoken contract for wives to be unpaid personal assistants. She is supposed to sacrifice, adjust, and compromise, while he simply "tries his best."And if he does anything beyond breathing and existing? A standing ovation."Behind every successful man, there’s a woman." Cute. But where’s the matching phrase for women?When a man achieves greatness, we expect there was a woman supporting him. When a woman achieves greatness? We assume she had to claw her way up alone or, worse, that her husband "allowed" her to chase her dreams.Ever heard someone say, "Behind every successful woman, there’s a man who sacrificed for her"? Exactly.A man can "choose" to be supportive. If he prioritizes his wife’s career, he’s practically Gandhi.A woman, on the other hand, doesn’t get to choose. She is expected to be the glue, the backbone, the "better half." And heaven forbid she complains—because then she’s "nagging.""He helps around the house."Pause. Rewind.Why is it help when a husband does something inside his own home? A house he also lives in? A child he also made? Help implies it’s not his responsibility to begin with—it’s hers, and he’s just being generous.Women don’t help around the house. They run it. Let’s retire the word "help" and replace it with sharing the load like a functional adult.Movies love a good "husband supports wife" moment. We swoon when a male lead quits his job to move cities for his wife’s promotion.Meanwhile, millions of women relocate, sacrifice, and put their ambitions on hold for their husband’s careers every day. But do they get a round of applause? Nope, they just get a "duh."She gives up her dream job so he can take his big promotion? Expected.He takes paternity leave to support her? Iconic. Revolutionary. Someone give this man a medal.See how we frame things differently?Let’s stop treating support as a gendered expectation. If we praise men for showing up, let’s also celebrate women without making it their default job.Supporting your partner is not a male privilege or a female duty. It’s what love looks like. Period.So, next time you hear someone say, "Wow, he supports his wife’s career!" try responding with: "And? Isn’t that what a life partner is supposed to do?"Maybe then, we’ll finally start treating marriage as a team sport—where both players get equal credit, and no one is just expected to be the waterboy.