In a culture where seeking professional mental health support remains stigmatised, treating marriage as a cure-all can be very problematic. In Pakistan, mental health is still a subject clouded in silence and secrecy, particularly when it comes to men. A persistent – and rather harmful – belief among many Pakistani parents is that if their son is struggling in life, marriage will somehow ‘fix’ him. Burdening him with the responsibilities of marriage, it is believed, will somehow put him on the right track. This mindset overlooks the need for professional support, and for the women involved in such marriages, the consequences can be much more severe.

TV show host Waseem Badami recently spoke about this issue during an interview with actor Mirza Gohar Rasheed. Badami highlighted how deeply harmful this cultural notion can be, adding that parents should be considerate of the woman they’re marrying their son off to; instead of seeing marriage as a magical solution, they should focus on fixing their sons themselves.

“Ultimately, what happens is, at first, one life is at stake, but then two end up being ruined,” he said. “Don’t be so selfish about it.” His opinion was echoed by Rasheed, who said, “The responsibility of a man is on his family members. Not on a woman who marries into the family.”