Kareena Kapoor Khan Sons Strong Working Mother Judgement Follows Women

Many working mothers continue to face scrutiny for their choices, especially when it comes to balancing career and caregiving. The pressure often comes not just from family or colleagues, but from strangers who believe they know what a ‘good mother’ should be doing. Kareena Kapoor Khan once described the kind of comments she has encountered over the years:

Speaking with Pinkvilla, she said, “(They say), ‘I shouldn’t get married. I shouldn’t become a mother.’ There are things that are like, you know, what is this? So many, if you read even comments, which people tell me, they’re like, ‘Oh, why is she working? She should be with Taimur.’ Or, ‘why is she doing this? She should be with this.’”

She questioned the assumptions people make about her life and relationships, saying, “I mean, like, you know, I mean, who does all this? And who says this? Nobody knows what my equation is, what my life is.”

DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to.

She also shared why continuing to work is a conscious choice rooted in what she wants her son to understand. “As a working woman, if my child knows that and grows up knowing that his mother is a working woman, his respect for women will grow 10 times. And I want to make a man of him. I want to make a man who will know that because he should know both his parents have worked really hard to give him a life. And he’ll respect me hopefully a lot more.”

Gurleen Baruah, existential psychotherapist at That Culture Thing, tells indianexpress.com, “These judgements come from deep-rooted gender roles where women are seen as primary caregivers and men as providers. The message women receive is: you can work, but not without guilt.”

Seeing their mother handle both roles with integrity teaches children that care and competence can coexist — and that respect isn’t gendered.

Guilt is natural, but it often comes from comparison with an “ideal mother” who doesn’t exist. The real work is in asking: What kind of mother do I want to be? Setting small, clear boundaries helps — like device-free family dinners or protected time for oneself.

“Children don’t need a perfect mother; they need a grounded one. Sharing your work joys and struggles with them also builds connection, not distance. As for outside criticism, people will always have opinions. What matters is aligning your choices with your values, and remembering that a fulfilled mother raises emotionally secure children,” concludes Baruah.