Why Do We Glorify Dads For What Moms Do Daily Without Applause?

Recently, a video of Ranbir Kapoor stepping out with his daughter Raha took over social media. The headlines read like something extraordinary had occurred. Ranbir "stepped into dad mode" while Alia Bhatt turned heads at Cannes. Suddenly, one parent attending to their child became national news. It was tender, sure, but was it really headline-worthy?

Let's be honest with ourselves, if this were the other way around, if Alia were holding Raha while Ranbir walked the Cannes red carpet, would there have been even a whisper of a headline? We know the answer. Because this isn't about Ranbir and Alia. It's about us. It's about what we choose to celebrate and what we choose to ignore.

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We Still See Fatherhood as Optional 

There's an underlying message in how we report stories like this, that a father who shows up for his child is somehow going above and beyond. That he deserves a badge of honour for doing the bare minimum, being a parent.

But why is it that when a mother does these things, taking the child to school, staying up all night with a feverish toddler, balancing caregiving with a career, it's just life? When fathers do the same, it becomes a moment of awe.

We applaud men for being present in their child's life, while silently expecting women to shoulder the emotional, mental, and physical labour of parenting, without complaint, recognition, or rest.

It's Not "Helping," It's Parenting 

Parenting is not a side hustle. It's not a favour. It's not support. It's shared responsibility. And this framing, where the father's presence is considered noble and the mother's routine, reinforces an old, tired script: men earn, women nurture. Fathers provide, mothers raise. But that's not today's reality.

In countless households, both parents are earning. Both are emotionally invested. Both are trying imperfectly, perhaps to raise kind, safe, happy humans. But our public narratives haven't caught up.

The Invisible Labour of Motherhood 

Every day, women are waking up early to get their kids ready before rushing to work. They're skipping meals to get home on time for parent-teacher meetings. They're handling doctor appointments, birthday party planning, homework struggles, night-time fevers, all while juggling careers, relationships, and their own exhaustion.

No camera captures those moments. No headline praises that consistency. But it's what keeps households running. In contrast, a single image of a man with his child earns glowing headlines.

Let's Normalise Equal Parenting 

The goal isn't to stop celebrating fathers, it's to stop treating them like guests in their own parenting story. We need to move toward a culture where no one is surprised when a father takes paternity leave, shows up at parent-teacher conferences, makes school lunches, or stays home when the baby is sick. Where do we stop saying "he's such a hands-on dad" as if it's rare? Parenting doesn't have a gender.

The Real Win? When No One Makes a Fuss 

The real sign of progress is when we see a father carrying his child and think nothing of it, no camera flashes, no applause, no headlines. Just another parent doing what parents do. Because parenting isn't performance. It's not a one-time act of glory. It's presence. It's work. It's love on repeat. And it belongs to both.

Views expressed by the author are their own.