Who is a Woman: Memoir of a Daughter Sister Mother Physician

By Dr. Gul

A story meant to empower women of all ages to find their unique inner strength and fulfill their potential in every area of their lives.

 

Who is a Woman invites readers to embark on a journey with clinical psychiatrist Dr. Gul as she navigates life searching for the true meaning of her feminine identity. A daughte

• Language: English
• Publisher: Palmetto Publishing
• Release date: Jun 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9798822915442

Dr. Gul

Dr. Gul is a renowned clinical psychiatrist trained in Boston. With a private practice since 1982, she has authored notable works including "Through my Prism" and "Who is a Woman". In her writing, she blends her medical expertise with insightful narratives. Residing in Southern California with her husband, an internist/Pulmonologist, she's a proud mother and grandmother. I am a Sikh is her tribute to Sikhism's profound history.

Book preview

Prologue

It is a hot, humid July afternoon in California. Like many other states in the West, California has been in the grip of a heat wave for the past few days. This is not the first hot and humid July in California, but something is very different this year. The year is 2022, and our nation is currently in the grip of a climate change hysteria. The politicians, news media, and social elites have seized upon this year's heat wave as an opportunity to push their green agenda. They are beating the drums of doom! They say unless we make drastic changes to our lifestyle, we will become extinct in the very near future. Suffice it to say, however, that it is we, the average, ordinary citizens, who are expected to make all the changes. In the meantime those who are sounding the alarm are continuing on their merry way flying in private planes and driving gas-guzzling cars.

Anyhow, let me not get distracted from my primary focus and move on to share my reason for writing this memoir. I am sure many of us are aware of the social and cultural changes that are occurring in our country. These changes were subtle and seemed pretty innocuous at first and were largely overlooked by most of us. However, over the last couple of years, some changes that are being proposed and pushed quite brazenly are, in my opinion, disturbing and must be rejected outright. Let me elaborate and share what I mean by this.

First of all let me share what really drew my attention to this issue of social and cultural changes. Many in our national media were having conversations about referring to a mother as a birthing person instead of a mother. They were also sharing their opinions about referring to pregnant women as pregnant people instead of pregnant women. At first I thought this was all a joke in poor taste, but with time it has become abundantly clear this is no joke. It is also clear this kind of thinking is not confined to only a few people in the media.

Numerous events from the past year have caused me to wonder if all these changes regarding gender are a subtle attempt to minimize and even perhaps eradicate the identity of women. The most shocking incident for me was when a female US senator asked a female judicial nominee to the Supreme Court if she could describe a woman, and the nominee replied that she could not, saying, I am not a biologist. Not only was this exchange between two women in powerful and prestigious positions incredibly shocking to me, but it was also disappointing and disheartening beyond expression. Had generations of women before us waged years of protests and relentlessly but peacefully fought overwhelming resistance and bias to bring recognition and status to our gender for naught? In the twenty-first century, are women in the United States of America confused and unsure of who a woman is?

As this exchange between the US senator and the judicial nominee became a topic of discussion and also ridicule on national TV, I found myself seriously thinking about writing this book. I want to share my thoughts about who a woman is and thereby hopefully set the record straight about womanhood. I hope to help present and future generations of young girls to grow into confident, self-assured young women who are proud of their gender. I want them to recognize the vital and prominent role women play in every walk of life, be it in a family, a community, or a nation. I say a woman is a daughter, a sister, a mother, a homemaker, a teacher, a nurse, a lawyer, a judge, a soldier, a businesswoman, a doctor, and yes, even a leader. A woman is an intrinsic and an irreplaceable part of the fabric of a family, a community, and a nation.

Daughter

I was born in Delhi, India, into a Sikh family. My dad was an officer in the Indian Army, and my mother was a wonderful homemaker. My parents had four children—one son and three daughters. I am the eldest of the girls. My brother is two years older than I.

I think it is quite widely known that most parents in India, especially those in the less affluent socioeconomic status, have a proclivity for male children. This unfortunate fact is a result of the norms and pressures of the Indian culture. The one aspect of the culture that is primarily, shall we say, to blame for this preference for male children is the dowry system. Parents of daughters were and are still expected to give dowry despite laws that have been enacted forbidding asking for or giving dowry. The parents of sons expect the parents