The paper explores fathers' nuanced roles in promoting and constraining their daughters' pursuit of university education within a patriarchal context. Utilizing an interpretive research paradigm, the study conducted in-depth interviews with 30 fathers who have sent their daughters to university. The findings reveal a multidimensional perspective on patriarchy, where fathers challenge, transition, and even recreate patriarchal norms through their decisions related to female education. Three major themes emerged: challenging patriarchy through educational empowerment and gender equality, a transition in patriarchy reflecting economic consideration and social change, and creating a new form of patriarchy through modified gender roles and controlled empowerment. These themes resonate with various sociological and gender theories, reflecting the complex interplay between local cultural norms and global feminist ideals. The study contributes to understanding how patriarchal structures can facilitate and inhibit female education and offers insights for policymakers, educators, and researchers interested in gender equality and social change in Punjab. Future research directions and policy implications are also discussed in the context of broader social, economic, and cultural transformations in the region.