--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We've come a long way from the time when…" description: "\"“We've come a long way from the time when the crowning achievement in a woman's life was her youthful marriage. And many would agree that this represen..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/barbara-dafoe-whitehead-108512_community_we-ve-come-a-long-way-from-the-time-when_1904981.jpg" --- # We've come a long way from the time when the crowning… ![“We've come a long way from the time when the crowning achievement in a woman's life was her youthful marriage. And many would agree that this represents progress for women. But when did the search for someone to marry become self-absorbed and pathetic? This absence of social sympathy for women's…” quote by Barbara Dafoe Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/barbara-dafoe-whitehead-108512_community_we-ve-come-a-long-way-from-the-time-when_1904981.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/barbara-dafoe-whitehead-108512_community_we-ve-come-a-long-way-from-the-time-when_1904981.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/barbara-dafoe-whitehead-108512_community_we-ve-come-a-long-way-from-the-time-when_1904981.jpg) > ““We've come a long way from the time when the crowning achievement in a woman's life was her youthful marriage. And many would agree that this represents progress for women. But when did the search for someone to marry become self-absorbed and pathetic? This absence of social sympathy for women's ambitions to marry is all the more striking because the social world has cared so deeply about virtually every other aspect of these privileged young women's inner and outer lives. (...) The achievement of a good marriage is the one area of life where the most privileged, accomplished, and high achieving young women in society face a loss of support and sympathy for their ambitions and where the social expectations are for disappointment and failure, not success.”” [Barbara Dafoe Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-dafoe-whitehead/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critiques how society now undervalues marriage for ambitious women, framing it as a loss of support. **In simple terms:** Marriage support declines for high‑achieving women. Key Takeaway Advocate broader social support for women’s choices. Themes gender marriage social expectations women’s ambition support Mood critical empathetic Type Community:1 Life:1 Long way:1 Marriage:1 Relationships:1 Success:0 Time:1 Womanhood:1 Women:1 Women in society:1 Man's Life:0 Social Expectations:1 Social Sympathy:1 Women Ambitions:1 Youthful Marriage:1 Ambitions Marry:1 When to use this quote - career counseling - policy advocacy - public discourse Key Concepts feminist theory sociology Questions to Reflect On - How can society better support varied life choices? - What alternatives to marriage provide fulfillment? A Different Perspective May generalize diverse experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambitions Marry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambitions-marry-2834373/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Long way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-way/) [Man's Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mans-life/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationships/) [Social Expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-expectations-1536772/) [Social Sympathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-sympathy-2834370/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Womanhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/womanhood/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) [Women Ambitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-ambitions-2834371/) [Women in society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-in-society/) [Youthful Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youthful-marriage-2834372/) ## Related quotes > [The man who melts With social sympathy, though not allied, Is more worth than a thousand kinsmen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/the-man-who-melts-with-social-sympathy-though-not-allied-is-more/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [Young women with ambitions should be very crafty and cautious, lest mayhap they be caught in the soft, silken mesh of a happy marriage,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/young-women-with-ambitions-should-be-very-crafty-and-cautious-lest/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [“ In many instances, a preoccupation with appearances--unrealistic social expectations, impossible standards--can be the single largest barrier to a satisfying social life. 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