---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Under patriarchy, every woman's son is…"
description: "\"Under patriarchy, every woman's son is her potential betrayer and also the inevitable rapist or exploiter of another woman.\" — Andrea Dworkin"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/andrea-dworkin-1998_another-woman_under-patriarchy-every-woman-s-son-is-he_1320014.png"
---

#  Under patriarchy, every woman's son is her potential…

![“Under patriarchy, every woman's son is her potential betrayer and also the inevitable rapist or exploiter of another woman.” quote by Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/andrea-dworkin-1998_another-woman_under-patriarchy-every-woman-s-son-is-he_1320014.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/andrea-dworkin-1998_another-woman_under-patriarchy-every-woman-s-son-is-he_1320014.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/andrea-dworkin-1998_another-woman_under-patriarchy-every-woman-s-son-is-he_1320014.png)

> “Under patriarchy, every woman's son is her potential betrayer and also the inevitable rapist or exploiter of another woman.”

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Patriarchy creates a system where women’s own children can become their oppressors and exploiters of other women.

**In simple terms:** Patriarchal power can turn a woman's son into a betrayer and rapist.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and challenge structures that enable male violence.

Themes

gender violence patriarchy power family

Mood

angry determined

Type

critical feminist

When to use this quote

- activism
- policy reform
- education
- support services

Key Concepts

feminist theory social oppression intergenerational trauma

Questions to Reflect On

- How does patriarchy shape family dynamics?
- What can individuals do to break this cycle?

A Different Perspective

The statement is broad and may overlook individual agency and non‑patriarchal contexts.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Another woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/another-woman/) [Betrayer Inevitable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/betrayer-inevitable-4396500/) [Every woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-woman/) [Exploiter Woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exploiter-woman-4396501/) [Feminist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminist/) [Inevitable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inevitable/) [Inevitable Rapist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inevitable-rapist-4396499/) [Patriarchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriarchy/) [Patriarchy Woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriarchy-woman-4396498/) [Radical feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radical-feminism/) [Radical feminist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radical-feminist/) [Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son/)

## Related quotes

> [Under patriarchy, no woman is safe to live her life, or to love, or to mother children. Under patriarchy, every woman is a victim,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/under-patriarchy-no-woman-is-safe-to-live-her-life-or-to-love-or-to/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [Heterosexual intercourse is the pure, formalized expression of contempt for women's bodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/heterosexual-intercourse-is-the-pure-formalized-expression-of/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [I'm a radical feminist, not the fun kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/i-m-a-radical-feminist-not-the-fun-kind/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [And if the professional rapist is to be separated from the average dominant heterosexual (male), it may be mainly a quantitative difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/and-if-the-professional-rapist-is-to-be-separated-from-the-average/)

[Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/)

> [“I’m not sure feminism should require an adjective. Believing in the full social, political, and economic quality of women, which is what the dictionary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-m-not-sure-feminism-should-require-an-adjective-believing-in-the/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [Being a housewife is an illegitimate profession... The choice to serve and be protected and plan towards being a family-maker is a choice that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivian-gornick/being-a-housewife-is-an-illegitimate-profession-the-choice-to-serve/)

[Vivian Gornick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivian-gornick/)

> [All sex, even consensual sex between a married couple, is an act of violence perpetrated against a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catharine-mackinnon/all-sex-even-consensual-sex-between-a-married-couple-is-an-act-of/)

[Catharine MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catharine-mackinnon/)

> [“In the radical feminist view, the new feminism is not just the revival of a serious political movement for social equality. It is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/in-the-radical-feminist-view-the-new-feminism-is-not-just-the-revival/)

[Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/)

> [“Feminism is the radical notion that women are human beings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheris-kramarae/feminism-is-the-radical-notion-that-women-are-human-beings/)

[Cheris Kramarae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheris-kramarae/)

> [Radical feminist theorists do not seek to make gender a bit more flexible, but to eliminate it. They are gender abolitionists, and understand gender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-jeffreys/radical-feminist-theorists-do-not-seek-to-make-gender-a-bit-more/)

[Sheila Jeffreys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-jeffreys/)

> [ALL men keep ALL women in a state of fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-brownmiller/all-men-keep-all-women-in-a-state-of-fear/)

[Susan Brownmiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-brownmiller/)

> [“The common perception is that man hating is solely a radical feminist practice. In my essay, I maintain that is neither radical nor particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coleen-kearon/the-common-perception-is-that-man-hating-is-solely-a-radical-feminist/)

[Coleen Kearon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coleen-kearon/)

> [All men are rapists and that's all they are](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/all-men-are-rapists-and-that-s-all-they-are/)

[Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/)

> [The institution of sexual intercourse is anti-feminist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ti-grace-atkinson/the-institution-of-sexual-intercourse-is-anti-feminist/)

[Ti-Grace Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ti-grace-atkinson/)

> [“God may be in the details, but the goddess is in the questions. Once we begin to ask them, there’s no turning back. Instead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/god-may-be-in-the-details-but-the-goddess-is-in-the-questions-once-we-2/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

## More by Andrea Dworkin

> [Heterosexual intercourse is the pure, formalized expression of contempt for women's bodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/heterosexual-intercourse-is-the-pure-formalized-expression-of/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [There is no place on earth, no day or night, no hour or minute, when one is not a Jew or a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/there-is-no-place-on-earth-no-day-or-night-no-hour-or-minute-when-one/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [Men are rewarded for learning the practice of violence in virtually any sphere of activity by money, admiration, recognition, respect, and the genuflection of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/men-are-rewarded-for-learning-the-practice-of-violence-in-virtually/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [“Inferiority is not banal or incidental even when it happens to women. It is not a petty affliction like bad skin or circles under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/inferiority-is-not-banal-or-incidental-even-when-it-happens-to-women/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [“Critiques of rape, pornography, and prostitution are “sex-negative” without qualification or examination, perhaps because so many men use these ignoble routes of access and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/critiques-of-rape-pornography-and-prostitution-are-sex-negative/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [Surely the freedom of women must mean more to us than the freedom of pimps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/surely-the-freedom-of-women-must-mean-more-to-us-than-the-freedom-of/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [As I see it, our revolutionary task is to destroy phallic identity in men and masochistic non-identity in women--that is, to destroy the polar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/as-i-see-it-our-revolutionary-task-is-to-destroy-phallic-identity-in/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [The will to domination is a ravenous beast. There are never enough warm bodies to satiate its monstrous hunger. Once alive, this beast grows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/the-will-to-domination-is-a-ravenous-beast-there-are-never-enough/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [Feminism exists so that no woman ever has to face her abuser in isolation, alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/feminism-exists-so-that-no-woman-ever-has-to-face-her-abuser-in/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [“people ask, well, dont sweet things happen? yes, indeed, many sweet things, but sweet doesnt keep you from dying, making love doesnt keep you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/people-ask-well-dont-sweet-things-happen-yes-indeed-many-sweet-things/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [Feminism is a political practice of fighting male supremacy on behalf of women as a class, including all the women you don't like, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/feminism-is-a-political-practice-of-fighting-male-supremacy-on-behalf/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [As long as there is rape... there is not going to be any peace or justice or equality or freedom. You are not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/as-long-as-there-is-rape-there-is-not-going-to-be-any-peace-or/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [Pornography reveals that male pleasure is inextricably tied to victimizing, hurting, exploiting; that sexual fun and sexual passion in the privacy of the male…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/pornography-reveals-that-male-pleasure-is-inextricably-tied-to/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [The man takes a body that is not his, claims it, sows his so-called seed, reaps a harvest - he colonizes a female body,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/the-man-takes-a-body-that-is-not-his-claims-it-sows-his-so-called/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [We have a double standard, which is to say, a man can show how much he cares by being violent-see, he's jealous, he cares-a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/we-have-a-double-standard-which-is-to-say-a-man-can-show-how-much-he/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

[Explore all 186 Andrea Dworkin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

## More Another woman quotes

> [“I look at you and see a life we’ve yet to build, a love that feels inevitable, waiting to unfold. I look at your face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-bekoe/i-look-at-you-and-see-a-life-we-ve-yet-to-build-a-love-that-feels/)

[Marion Bekoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-bekoe/)

> [“Her face turned to the window, and he saw her swallow. She was not as calm as she appeared, but for some reason, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/her-face-turned-to-the-window-and-he-saw-her-swallow-she-was-not-as/)

[Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/)

> [I believe people ought to be treated fairly under the law. I see no reason why if the marriage contract conveys certain things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-believe-people-ought-to-be-treated-fairly-under-the-law-i-see-no/)

[Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/)

> [“At times I feel as if I had lived all this before and that I have already written these very words, but I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/at-times-i-feel-as-if-i-had-lived-all-this-before-and-that-i-have/)

[Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/)

> [“Aren't all marriages kind of gay? As a man, when you get marries, essentially what you're saying is 'I will never touch another woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-kimmel/aren-t-all-marriages-kind-of-gay-as-a-man-when-you-get-marries/)

[Jimmy Kimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-kimmel/)

> [“I pause when the man at the register lays down a red carnation with my change, says quietly, “This is for you,” and turns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eula-biss/i-pause-when-the-man-at-the-register-lays-down-a-red-carnation-with/)

[Eula Biss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eula-biss/)

> [He gave a small nod, and I smiled back, and that was it. He understood that I'd understood that he'd understood. It took us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/he-gave-a-small-nod-and-i-smiled-back-and-that-was-it-he-understood/)

[Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

> [“Until you have stood in another woman’s stilettos, you will never begin to know the year of pain she felt breaking them in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/until-you-have-stood-in-another-woman-s-stilettos-you-will-never/)

[Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/)

> [“As my voice died away I became conscious of the voice of another woman two tables away. I couldn't hear what she was saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/as-my-voice-died-away-i-became-conscious-of-the-voice-of-another/)

[Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/)

> [“Ben’s dead,” he says not moving or breaking his stare. “And?” “Just thought you should know,” he says, looking at me in the eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-s-adkins/ben-s-dead-he-says-not-moving-or-breaking-his-stare-and-just-thought/)

[K.S. Adkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-s-adkins/)

> [One man's content is another woman's crap. And the crappy content - let's call it crontent - will never go away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-salie/one-man-s-content-is-another-woman-s-crap-and-the-crappy-content-let/)

[Faith Salie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-salie/)

> [“If you find yourself comparing your abilities, your work or your body to another woman, first observe and acknowledge what’s happening. Then calmly ask…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-wells/if-you-find-yourself-comparing-your-abilities-your-work-or-your-body/)

[Melissa Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-wells/)

> [“...in response to whatever Alice was struggling with, whatever had caused her to withdraw from him, he had chosen the arms of another woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ross/in-response-to-whatever-alice-was-struggling-with-whatever-had-caused/)

[Adam Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ross/)

> [“Eve: “If you ended up naked and dead with another woman, I'd do the Rumba on your corpse.” Roarke: “You can't do the Rumba.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/eve-if-you-ended-up-naked-and-dead-with-another-woman-i-d-do-the/)

[J.D. Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb/)

> [Shes the key to my happiness and the lock of my heart. My love source for her is endless,it would be my death,if we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donatt/shes-the-key-to-my-happiness-and-the-lock-of-my-heart-my-love-source/)

[Donatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donatt/)

[Browse all 386 Another woman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/another-woman/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Under patriarchy, every woman's son is her potential betrayer and also the inevitable rapist or exploiter of another woman.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Andrea Dworkin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/under-patriarchy-every-woman-s-son-is-her-potential-betrayer-and-also/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Another woman"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/under-patriarchy-every-woman-s-son-is-her-potential-betrayer-and-also/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/andrea-dworkin-1998_another-woman_under-patriarchy-every-woman-s-son-is-he_1320014.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/andrea-dworkin-1998_another-woman_under-patriarchy-every-woman-s-son-is-he_1320014.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/andrea-dworkin-1998_another-woman_under-patriarchy-every-woman-s-son-is-he_1320014.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Under patriarchy, every woman's son is her potential betrayer and also the inevitable rapist or exploiter of…” — Andrea Dworkin",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Andrea Dworkin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Under patriarchy, every woman's son is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/under-patriarchy-every-woman-s-son-is-her-potential-betrayer-and-also/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/under-patriarchy-every-woman-s-son-is-her-potential-betrayer-and-also/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
