Nepal, May 18 -- Think of a South Asian household made up entirely of women. Does that paint a perfectly ordinary picture, or does it make you pause for a second too long?

The possible discomfort in imagining this comes from the absence of a man, and in societies like ours, a home without a 'head' man or a male 'provider' still triggers suspicion, judgement, or unsolicited sympathy.

Societies are getting progressive but patriarchy is far too deeply woven into our social fabric. Schools here still instinctively ask for the father's name when it comes to guardianship, and institutions still treat fathers as a default point of legitimacy. The script is similar when a family has just daughters or if they are the only daughter.

"What abou...