Enslave Quote by Carole Pateman
““In Zilboorg’s interpretation of the primal scene, women become sexual and economic slaves in the family. The co-operative socialist William Thompson provided a similar conjectural history of the origin of marriage. He argued that, ‘in the beginning’, men’s greater strength, aided by cunning, enabled them to enslave women. Men would have turned women into mere labourers except that they depend on women to satisfy their sexual, desires. If men had no sexual desire, or if the propagation of the species did not depend on men’s intervention in a form which also provided sexual gratification, there would have been no need for the institution in which ‘each man yokes a woman to his establishment, and calls it a contract.’ Women are ‘parcelled out amongst men, . . . one weak always coupled and subjected to one strong’.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center, Carole Pateman, 1989
Pateman argues that historical marriage arose from male dominance, using sexual desire to justify women's subordination as labor and property.
In simple terms: Marriage historically tied women’s labor to men’s sexual needs, creating inequality.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and challenge gendered power structures.
Themes
gender
power
history
marriage
inequality
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
analytical
historical
When to use this quote
- academic debate
- policy reform
- education
- activism
Key Concepts
patriarchy
social contract
economic exploitation
Questions to Reflect On
- How do modern institutions reflect or reject these origins?
- What steps can reduce gendered power imbalances?
A Different Perspective
Historical analysis may overlook cultural variations and agency of women.
