A resident of India for 36 years posed as a man for the sake of her daughter

What a mother will not do for the sake of her child. Sometimes the self-sacrifice of women strikes to the core. A resident of India by the name of Petchiammal has been posing as a man for 36 years in order to raise her daughter alone. She had no other choice, since patriarchal mores reign in the country and it is incredibly difficult to earn a living as a single mother.

Petchiammal got married at the age of 20 and immediately became pregnant. But family life lasted only two weeks — her husband suddenly died of a heart attack. After the birth of the child, the girl worked in several places at once: at a construction site, in a cafe and a hotel. But in In India, a woman is not considered a full-time employee and was paid very little by Petchiammal.

In addition, the single mother constantly endured harassment and received sexist insults. Very soon the woman got tired of it, and she decided to radically change her life. Before taking a difficult step, Petchiammal spent several days in prayer in the temple and this gave her determination. She cut her long hair and changed into men's clothes to start a new life.

I had to change her name — from now on she was called by the male name Muthu. Becoming a guy, Petchiammal immediately felt the difference. They began to offer jobs more often, and pay much more. Now he and his daughter could afford to eat their fill, buy clothes and textbooks for school.

A determined woman worked on a par with men and no one even suspected that the slender, silent guy was not at all what he seemed.

As a Muthu, a strong-willed Indian woman lived for 36 years. She managed to raise and put her daughter on her feet, after which there was no point in continuing the disguise. But Petchiammal got so used to her life that she decided not to change anything and to remain a man further. Thanks to journalists, millions learned about the fate of the woman and she received serious support.

In an interview, she said that the image of Muthu is very dear to her. Thanks to him, she was able to make sure that her daughter, growing up without a father, did not feel deprived. A very similar story happened in Egypt. There, Sisa Abu Dawh posed as a man for 43 years to provide for her child.