Ace tennis player and an inspiration for all of us, Sania Mirza is very popular for thwarting gender biases. She is the one who shot down a journalist who asked her when she planned to ‘settle down’ while interviewing her about her married life and child planning. We loved her fire then, and we love it now.
Recently, while speaking at a panel discussion about gender biases at the ongoing Goa Fest 2018, the tennis star revealed a ‘secret’. She and her Pakistani cricketer hubby Shoaib Malik have made a joint decision that’ll make your heart swell with hope and pride. Here is what she said:
“My husband and I have spoken about it and we have decided that whenever we have a child, the child will have Mirza Malik as the surname and not just Malik. So that’s where we stand as a family, including my husband. He actually wants a daughter.”
Sania and Shoaib have time and again proved that cultures, religion and countries have got nothing to do with love and with this amazing decision, they have proved it yet again. Sania, who is very vocal about pre-defined gender stereotypes and biases in our society said something which all women will relate to. She said that it always infuriated her when her orthodox relatives told her parents that they should have had a son after two daughters:
“We are two sisters and have never wished that we had a brother. I have had fights with my uncles and aunts, who talk about it or come up and tell my parents that they should have had a son. For us, daughters are daughters and there was nothing like wanting a son to carry the family name forward.”
We agree with Sania’s views. Who said that only a boy can take the family name forward? What is needed in our society is an open-minded approach to such things. We need to promote equality and not try to downtrod any gender whatsoever!
Here’s to Sania and Shoaib for so effortlessly thwarting gender biases yet again and making an amazing decision that will inspire a lot of people out there. And we can’t wait for ‘Mirza Malik’ to come into this world!