---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am a working woman with a secret life…"
description: "\"I am a working woman with a secret life: I keep house.\" — Cheryl Mendelson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/cheryl-mendelson-30246_home_i-am-a-working-woman-with-a-secret-life_1054600.jpg"
---

#  I am a working woman with a secret life: I keep house.

![“I am a working woman with a secret life: I keep house.” quote by Cheryl Mendelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/cheryl-mendelson-30246_home_i-am-a-working-woman-with-a-secret-life_1054600.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/cheryl-mendelson-30246_home_i-am-a-working-woman-with-a-secret-life_1054600.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/cheryl-mendelson-30246_home_i-am-a-working-woman-with-a-secret-life_1054600.jpg)

> “I am a working woman with a secret life: I keep house.”

[Cheryl Mendelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-mendelson/)

## About This Quote

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

A working woman’s hidden role is managing the household, revealing societal expectations.

**In simple terms:** Women often juggle work and home unseen.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and value unpaid domestic labor.

Themes

gender roles work‑life balance invisible labor

Mood

reflective determined

Type

social commentary inspirational

When to use this quote

- career planning
- family budgeting
- policy advocacy

Key Concepts

feminist theory social expectations

Questions to Reflect On

- How can workplaces support domestic responsibilities?
- What cultural shifts are needed?

A Different Perspective

Balancing both roles can cause burnout.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Secret life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret-life/) [Woman Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woman-secret-730814/) [Working](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working/) [Working Woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-woman/) [Working women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-women/)

## Related quotes

> [“Fortunately, no matter how many times she is pushed down, she bounds up again. No matter how many times she is forbidden, quelled, cut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarissa-pinkola-estes/fortunately-no-matter-how-many-times-she-is-pushed-down-she-bounds-up/)

[Clarissa Pinkola Estés](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarissa-pinkola-estes/)

> [ The perfect woman, you see \[is\] a working-woman; not an idler; not a fine lady; but one who \[uses\] her hands and her head… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/the-perfect-woman-you-see-is-a-working-woman-not-an-idler-not-a-fine/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [Women of the working class, especially wage workers, should not have more than two children at most. The average working man can support no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-sanger/women-of-the-working-class-especially-wage-workers-should-not-have/)

[Margaret Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-sanger/)

> [Like Hillary Clinton before her, Mrs. Obama has always been a working woman. She is a lawyer turned hospital administrator turned political right hand.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-leon-talley/like-hillary-clinton-before-her-mrs-obama-has-always-been-a-working/)

[Andre Leon Talley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-leon-talley/)

> [“In his 1899 critique of upper-class values, The Theory of the Leisure Class, economist and philosopher Thorstein Veblen wrote, 'The dress of women goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carina-chocano/in-his-1899-critique-of-upper-class-values-the-theory-of-the-leisure/)

[Carina Chocano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carina-chocano/)

> [I mean, I - it's so funny, I am, you know, I am, you know, a working woman out in the world, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-mean-i-it-s-so-funny-i-am-you-know-i-am-you-know-a-working-woman/)

[Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/)

> [If it hadn't been for the rise of the working woman's wardrobe, I never would have found the time to sneak a kid in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsey-johnson/if-it-hadn-t-been-for-the-rise-of-the-working-woman-s-wardrobe-i/)

[Betsey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsey-johnson/)

> [As a contemporary Indian woman who has been handling so many things, I think she can be a very strong woman, a very strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonali-bendre/as-a-contemporary-indian-woman-who-has-been-handling-so-many-things-i/)

[Sonali Bendre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonali-bendre/)

> [I read, with a kind of hopeless envy, histories and legends of people of our craft who do not write for money. It must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-read-with-a-kind-of-hopeless-envy-histories-and-legends-of-people/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Women somehow get portrayed as one type. You're either a feminist or you're not. You're a working woman or you're not. I'm raising two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-shriver/women-somehow-get-portrayed-as-one-type-you-re-either-a-feminist-or/)

[Maria Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-shriver/)

> [But on the other hand, I talked to a woman who was a working woman, and it was actually great for her, because she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-tripplehorn/but-on-the-other-hand-i-talked-to-a-woman-who-was-a-working-woman-and/)

[Jeanne Tripplehorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-tripplehorn/)

> [At work you worry over the family at home. At home you fret over work left undone. Behold the working woman's stress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-a-cannon/at-work-you-worry-over-the-family-at-home-at-home-you-fret-over-work/)

[Elaine A. Cannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-a-cannon/)

> [I'm a working woman of 80 trying to work out what the image I can project is. How I can do it with, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-dell-orefice/i-m-a-working-woman-of-80-trying-to-work-out-what-the-image-i-can/)

[Carmen Dell'Orefice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-dell-orefice/)

> [My mom was a working woman. She made more money than my dad. Both my parents worked. And this was in the '60s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/my-mom-was-a-working-woman-she-made-more-money-than-my-dad-both-my/)

[Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/)

> [A working woman could save a few shillings a week, and then every five weeks she'd come in and we'd cut her hair. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vidal-sassoon/a-working-woman-could-save-a-few-shillings-a-week-and-then-every-five/)

[Vidal Sassoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vidal-sassoon/)

## More by Cheryl Mendelson

> [“Being perceived as excessively domestic can get you socially ostracized. When I made hand-rolled pasta for a dinner, I learned the hard way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-mendelson/being-perceived-as-excessively-domestic-can-get-you-socially/)

[Cheryl Mendelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-mendelson/)

> [“To taste its best, wine, especially red wine, must be uncorked and exposed to the air for a period of time before it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-mendelson/to-taste-its-best-wine-especially-red-wine-must-be-uncorked-and/)

[Cheryl Mendelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-mendelson/)

> [Yet housekeeping actually offers more opportunities for savoring achievement than almost any other work I can think of. Each of its regular routines brings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-mendelson/yet-housekeeping-actually-offers-more-opportunities-for-savoring/)

[Cheryl Mendelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-mendelson/)

> [“What really does work to increase the feeling of having a home and its comforts is housekeeping. Housekeeping creates cleanliness, order, regularity, beauty, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-mendelson/what-really-does-work-to-increase-the-feeling-of-having-a-home-and/)

[Cheryl Mendelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-mendelson/)

> [“I managed to persevere partly because not everyone responded with that stare; there was enthusiasm as well. And I was struck that no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-mendelson/i-managed-to-persevere-partly-because-not-everyone-responded-with/)

[Cheryl Mendelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-mendelson/)

> [“Hair burns very quickly. If you have long hair, tie it back securely when you are cooking, building a fire in the fireplace, lighting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-mendelson/hair-burns-very-quickly-if-you-have-long-hair-tie-it-back-securely/)

[Cheryl Mendelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-mendelson/)

> [“The part of me that enjoys housekeeping and the comforts it provides is central to my character. Until now, I have almost entirely concealed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-mendelson/the-part-of-me-that-enjoys-housekeeping-and-the-comforts-it-provides/)

[Cheryl Mendelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-mendelson/)

> [I myself love getting cookbooks and novels that some congenial person has already tried and liked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-mendelson/i-myself-love-getting-cookbooks-and-novels-that-some-congenial-person/)

[Cheryl Mendelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-mendelson/)

> [“What really does work to increase the feeling of having a home and its comforts is housekeeping. Housekeeping creates cleanliness, order, regularity, beauty, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-mendelson/what-really-does-work-to-increase-the-feeling-of-having-a-home-and-2/)

[Cheryl Mendelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-mendelson/)

> [“He was a man whose calmness reflected his confidence that he meant whatever he did-- which is different... from confidence that whatever he did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-mendelson/he-was-a-man-whose-calmness-reflected-his-confidence-that-he-meant/)

[Cheryl Mendelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-mendelson/)

> [“Brew black tea for three to five minutes; oolong for about five minutes; and green teas for only a minute or two.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-mendelson/brew-black-tea-for-three-to-five-minutes-oolong-for-about-five/)

[Cheryl Mendelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-mendelson/)

> [I listen to lots of music, especially Bach, opera (all periods), German lieder, chamber music, and rock, old and new. I can't listen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-mendelson/i-listen-to-lots-of-music-especially-bach-opera-all-periods-german/)

[Cheryl Mendelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-mendelson/)

> [We have, instead (of soot and dirt), disorganization. We have this proliferation of goods. It's the disease of the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-mendelson/we-have-instead-of-soot-and-dirt-disorganization-we-have-this/)

[Cheryl Mendelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-mendelson/)

> [Many books have mattered enormously to my life and work. 'David Copperfield' by Charles Dickens would be one of several contenders for 'most influential.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-mendelson/many-books-have-mattered-enormously-to-my-life-and-work-david/)

[Cheryl Mendelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-mendelson/)

> [So many people imagine housekeeping to be boring, frustrating, repetitive, unintelligent drudgery. I cannot agree. In fact, having kept house, practiced law, taught, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-mendelson/so-many-people-imagine-housekeeping-to-be-boring-frustrating/)

[Cheryl Mendelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-mendelson/)

[Explore all 17 Cheryl Mendelson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-mendelson/)

## More Home quotes

> [Sentiment is the mightiest force in civilization; not sentimentality, but sentiment. Women will bring this into politics. Home, sweet home, is as powerful on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-ellen-foster/sentiment-is-the-mightiest-force-in-civilization-not-sentimentality/)

[Judith Ellen Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-ellen-foster/)

> [I don't like being away from home. That's one reason why I don't work as much as I used to \[when I started my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-powell/i-don-t-like-being-away-from-home-that-s-one-reason-why-i-don-t-work/)

[Jane Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-powell/)

> [“It is not the force of the wind, but the depth of the roots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/it-is-not-the-force-of-the-wind-but-the-depth-of-the-roots/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [If your life's at a juncture and you need to think about things, there's nowhere better than home. However old you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kinsella/if-your-life-s-at-a-juncture-and-you-need-to-think-about-things-there/)

[Sophie Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kinsella/)

> [Most days, I go home and I feel rejuvenated. I feel ebullient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/most-days-i-go-home-and-i-feel-rejuvenated-i-feel-ebullient/)

[Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/)

> [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [Houses are like the human beings that inhabit them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/houses-are-like-the-human-beings-that-inhabit-them/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/)

[David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/)

> [A home is not a museum. It doesn't have to be furnished with Picasso paintings, or Sheraton suites, or Oriental rugs, or Chinese pottery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/a-home-is-not-a-museum-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-furnished-with-picasso/)

[James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/)

> [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/)

[Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/)

> [Everything comes home, my mother used to say; every word spoken, every shadow cast, every footprint in the sand. It can't be helped; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/everything-comes-home-my-mother-used-to-say-every-word-spoken-every/)

[Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/)

> [When you're in the middle of a pennant race, you can't go up there thinking about home runs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-sosa/when-you-re-in-the-middle-of-a-pennant-race-you-can-t-go-up-there/)

[Sammy Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-sosa/)

> [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/)

[Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/)

> [You play a part, and as soon as a movie is over and the camera stops, you go home and you're not really responsible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nastassja-kinski/you-play-a-part-and-as-soon-as-a-movie-is-over-and-the-camera-stops/)

[Nastassja Kinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nastassja-kinski/)

[Browse all 25,855 Home quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I am a working woman with a secret life: I keep house.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Cheryl Mendelson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-mendelson/i-am-a-working-woman-with-a-secret-life-i-keep-house/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Home"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-mendelson/i-am-a-working-woman-with-a-secret-life-i-keep-house/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/cheryl-mendelson-30246_home_i-am-a-working-woman-with-a-secret-life_1054600.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/cheryl-mendelson-30246_home_i-am-a-working-woman-with-a-secret-life_1054600.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/cheryl-mendelson-30246_home_i-am-a-working-woman-with-a-secret-life_1054600.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I am a working woman with a secret life: I keep house.” — Cheryl Mendelson",
                "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": "Cheryl Mendelson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-mendelson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I am a working woman with...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-mendelson/i-am-a-working-woman-with-a-secret-life-i-keep-house/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-mendelson/i-am-a-working-woman-with-a-secret-life-i-keep-house/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
