The daughter-in-law is expected to merge into the groom's family culture completely, while the groom's family remains remarkably untouched by the concept of adjustment. Apparently, "two families becoming one" often translates into "one family continuing exactly as before while the other family politely disappears." And perhaps the next time someone says, "In our family, this doesn't happen," the real question should be: Why?

If equality was about opening doors, equity is about ensuring women can walk through them safely, freely, and with dignity. It requires us to move beyond optics and into outcomes. To stop asking: “Are women included?” And start asking: “Are women able to thrive?” Because the goal was never just to include women. The goal is to build a world where they don’t have to fight the system to belong in it. And that work is still unfinished.