Parineeti Chopra Challenges Parenting Norms, Asks Why "Mother Is The Default Parent"

Parineeti Chopra is challenging conventional gender norms around parenting. The actor who welcomed her son, Neer, last year with her husband, Raghav Chadha, has sparked a conversation about shared responsibilities and expectations from parents.

During an interview with Gulf News, Parineeti Chopra shared how she and Raghav Chadha do not believe in only one person assuming the role of a primary parent. Instead, she strongly advocates for both parents to play equal roles in a child's upbringing. “The majority of this world thinks that the mother is the default parent and the only parent or the one that has to make all the changes in her life, as if the father had nothing to do with this child,” she said.

Talking about the double standards of society, the actor continued, “The child is 50-50 between the parents, right? But somehow, in our society, we have normalised just the mother doing all of it. And all the changes that must happen after a baby happen only to the mother, and the father becomes the visiting parent.”

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According to Parineeti, when a mother brings a child into the world, a father needs to step up to begin his duties towards the child. She shared, “A father biologically may be behind in the motherhood process because he is not doing the pregnancy and then feeding and the postpartum, but he is very much the soldier behind all.”

The actor stressed the importance of shared responsibility and added, “I just hope that at least effort-wise and intention-wise the roles are not tipped only in favour of the mother taking over everything. Parenthood has to be what works for that couple, and society cannot dictate.”

Parineeti Chopra and Raghav Chadha welcomed their son in October 2025. During the pregnancy, the actor took some time off work to devote herself and adjust to her new and demanding role as a mother. Following a hiatus from Spotlight, the actor has recently made her comeback to acting with two OTT releases, including Shaq: Trust No One and Reporting Live.

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