In her mind, daughters belong to their husband’s families and will benefit from their fortune. As a daughter, I was not to expect any inheritance from my parents.
For a long time, I did not give much thought to her words, even though she repeated them very often. It was not until I grew up, got married, and moved in with my husband’s family that I began to understand their weight. When I told my in-laws that I would not be inheriting any family property, they reacted visibly. They were displeased that I was married off without any assets even though I am my parents’ biological child.
To be honest, I never cared much about receiving any handouts. But seeing my in-laws’ attitude made me feel a bit hurt. I remember how, during my childhood, I was working hard alongside my mother to help support the family and make sure my younger brother had the chance to study and build a future. Yet now I feel like I am being cast aside, and that deepens my sense of sorrow.
Still, I could only grieve quietly. I could not bring myself to demand anything from my mother. We are blood relatives, so fighting over assets would only drive a wedge between us. What would outsiders think if they saw us tearing each other apart over money?
My in-laws’ judgmental eyes make my situation feel even worse.
Seeing how my in-laws looked down on me, there was a time when my mother told me: “If you need money, I will try to work harder to give you some. But our house and land cannot be divided.”
I had no choice but to refuse as I could not bear to see my aging, ailing mother push herself just to give me a token share for the sake of “fairness” or to satisfy outsiders’ expectations.
Now, I remind myself that as long as I can work, I must strive to earn more money, spend only what I make, and live independently. No matter how my mother views the issue of inheritance or whether I will get anything, being born and raised by her is already a gift that I must honor for life. At the very least, I want to set an example for my own children and stay true to my conscience.
Society today is becoming fairer in terms of inheritance distribution between sons and daughters. In many families, parents divide assets equally without regard to gender, or even if they prioritize sons, they still save something for their daughters. Yet the belief that “daughters belong to someone else’s family” still persists in many households.
According to a study conducted by the Institute for Social Development Studies, only 1% of Vietnamese men believe parents should give all or most of their assets to daughters. Meanwhile, 12% and 23% believe all or most assets should go to sons.
*The opinions were translated into English with the assistance of AI. Readers’ views are personal and do not necessarily match VnExpress’ viewpoints.
