There are many parts of my identity I am proud of, parts which I would not change, parts which make me who I am. One of these things is being a woman. When I was young, my mother was my inspiration, my strength, and my role model. I wanted to be like her, one day. I saw her work hard as a young mother trying to take care of her two little children in a foreign country. I saw her get up on her feet ,and earn a degree in cosmetology when finances were hard for my family. I saw her stand up for herself when she witnessed injustice by people in her life. I saw her wake up early, cook for us, and get ready for a long day of work ahead. I wanted to be her. I wanted to be a strong, independent woman who smiles in the face of adversity. I wanted to have everything: an education, a strong career, a family, friends, and, most importantly, confidence and resilience.

As I sit here today, I realize that I am lucky to even have this dream because not many are able to. In my homeland of India, as well as many other places, a majority of women are told to dream but, often, they are exposed to different beliefs and ideals. Often, these women dream of finding a good husband who is well off and can support them. They dream of a stable household, a family, and in-laws who love them just like their own daughter (this last one might be trickier to find but, hey, one can dream).

Now, there is nothing wrong with dreaming of these things. They are beautiful, life changing goals. However, my problem is not that women have this dream, but that women, especially in these places, are not given opportunities and encouragement to dream of other things. Not necessarily bigger things, but different things. I see people I know in India getting married at a young age, having kids at a young age, sacrificing their education, their family, and other opportunities behind. Now if this is a conscious and sound decision, I support it wholeheartedly, for a person has the right to live their life the way they want to without being judged. But, as I mentioned before, oftentimes, these women are not given alternative dreams. They are told to fit a mold, a mold one has to follow or else society will find faults in you.

There are other, alternative dreams out there that will also bring you fulfillment. Education is one of them. In India, about 34.54 percent of women are illiterate, as compared to 17.86 percent of men according to Census 2011. This disparity is shocking. Women should be given more encouragement to be literate and pursue education and higher education. Women should be able to dream of having a career and earning a living. Women should not just be given the dream of solely raising a family and living off of her husband's earnings. Women should dream of doing whatever they want to, not just being married off early (not to mention having to pay dowry to her husband and his family as if she is a burden or an extra mouth to feed). Unfortunately, I am not making this up. According to UNICEF, in India, 47.4 percent of children aged 18 are married off. That is almost 50 percent of children in that age group. This alone shows how much marriage is ingrained in the culture. Once again, this is not necessarily bad (I too want to get married one day!), but when it is the only thing, the only dream that is introduced to a women, that is when the problem arises.

So, please, dream big. If that entails having children and getting married, please do so. Live your life the way you want to, but make sure that you have at least heard of other alternatives and dreams that may look hard, but are definitely worth it if you believe in yourself and your abilities. And, look, society will always talk. Let them. But do not live your life in regret. Do not compromise on what you want to do in order to please someone else, or in order to look good in society's eyes. Be the best you you can be, and dream without limits.