--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Before Ms. magazine was a gleam in Gloria…" description: "\"“Before Ms. magazine was a gleam in Gloria Steinem’s eye, men had quite a deal. Married middle-class men often controlled the purse while enjoying the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bb/david-cay-johnston-10155_money_before-ms-magazine-was-a-gleam-in-gloria_1186847.jpg" --- # Before Ms. magazine was a gleam in Gloria Steinem’s eye… ![“Before Ms. magazine was a gleam in Gloria Steinem’s eye, men had quite a deal. Married middle-class men often controlled the purse while enjoying the pleasures of a full-time homemaker, who might work a few hours here and there for “pin money” they could spend on themselves. Mothers of small…” quote by David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bb/david-cay-johnston-10155_money_before-ms-magazine-was-a-gleam-in-gloria_1186847.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bb/david-cay-johnston-10155_money_before-ms-magazine-was-a-gleam-in-gloria_1186847.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bb/david-cay-johnston-10155_money_before-ms-magazine-was-a-gleam-in-gloria_1186847.jpg) > ““Before Ms. magazine was a gleam in Gloria Steinem’s eye, men had quite a deal. Married middle-class men often controlled the purse while enjoying the pleasures of a full-time homemaker, who might work a few hours here and there for “pin money” they could spend on themselves. Mothers of small children seldom worked full-time.”” [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He describes historical gender dynamics where men controlled finances while women’s work was undervalued and limited to part-time or “pin money”. **In simple terms:** Men controlled money; women did limited work for small pay. Key Takeaway Advocate for equitable financial and labor rights. Themes gender roles economic disparity history Mood analytical concerned Type journalistic historical When to use this quote - policy reform - education - activism - family budgeting Key Concepts feminism labor economics Questions to Reflect On - How have gender roles changed today? - What policies can close the pay gap? A Different Perspective Historical context varies across cultures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) ## Related quotes > [But let me tell you something. Gloria Steinem never helped me out; Larry Flynt did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-love/but-let-me-tell-you-something-gloria-steinem-never-helped-me-out/) [Courtney Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-love/) > [I would love, obviously, someone like Gloria Steinem to do anything with me. We would obviously have to get lunch after, and she'd have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbi-jacobson/i-would-love-obviously-someone-like-gloria-steinem-to-do-anything/) [Abbi Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbi-jacobson/) > [“Soon, a national and international feminist movement was challenging the idea that what happened to men was political but what happened to women was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-allison/soon-a-national-and-international-feminist-movement-was-challenging/) [Jay Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-allison/) > [“Trying to do it all and expecting it all can be done exactly right is a recipe for disappointment. Perfection is the enemy. Gloria…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/trying-to-do-it-all-and-expecting-it-all-can-be-done-exactly-right-is/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [I will no longer be referred to as Miss Steinem of Ms. magazine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-will-no-longer-be-referred-to-as-miss-steinem-of-ms-magazine/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I graduated high school in 1974 when Roe v. Wade had only just been passed. Ms. Magazine was only just starting, and women were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacky-rosen/i-graduated-high-school-in-1974-when-roe-v-wade-had-only-just-been/) [Jacky Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacky-rosen/) > [My mother turned 40 in 1973. So in 1970 - when 'The Female Eunuch' came out and Ms. magazine was founded - my mom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/my-mother-turned-40-in-1973-so-in-1970-when-the-female-eunuch-came/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [“More sharply, Steinem argued that marriage rendered women “half people,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/more-sharply-steinem-argued-that-marriage-rendered-women-half-people/) [Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/) > [“What was so disruptive about Steinem, and other women who were living like her, whether or not they had men on their arms, was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/what-was-so-disruptive-about-steinem-and-other-women-who-were-living/) [Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/) > [“Steinem’s most powerful gift was her ability to synthesize radical sentiments into appealingly pithy, era-defining sound bites.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/steinem-s-most-powerful-gift-was-her-ability-to-synthesize-radical/) [Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/) > [The feminist movement is often clouded with Gloria Steinem's perspective, but I feel like denying women their sexuality is just as chauvinistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-heard/the-feminist-movement-is-often-clouded-with-gloria-steinem-s/) [Amber Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-heard/) > [“Materialism has defeated feminism as well. In a sign of the times, Gloria Steinem was on the picket line when the first American DeBeers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/materialism-has-defeated-feminism-as-well-in-a-sign-of-the-times/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) > [The women's movement was just coming into being, and I got involved with Gloria Steinem and Bella Abzug and all these great women. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxine-waters/the-women-s-movement-was-just-coming-into-being-and-i-got-involved/) [Maxine Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxine-waters/) > [Getting to a place where I am comfortable saying things was hard-earned for me. I've chewed on the ground glass of my own experience.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/getting-to-a-place-where-i-am-comfortable-saying-things-was-hard/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) > [Feminism died in 1998 when Hillary allowed henchlings and Democrats to demonize Monica as an unbalanced stalker, and when Gloria Steinem defended Mr. Clinton…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/feminism-died-in-1998-when-hillary-allowed-henchlings-and-democrats/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) ## More by David Cay Johnston > [“Wage insurance works best when all workers are covered under the same plan and the coverage starts at the beginning of their working lives.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/wage-insurance-works-best-when-all-workers-are-covered-under-the-same/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“Pope Francis I, denouncing “an economy of exclusion,” has made inequality a centerpiece of his reign: Just as the commandment “Thou shalt not kill”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/pope-francis-i-denouncing-an-economy-of-exclusion-has-made-inequality/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“We have created a society in which all the nation’s economic gains flow to the top and the vast majority sees income stagnation or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/we-have-created-a-society-in-which-all-the-nation-s-economic-gains/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [Congress is supposed to fund the IRS, and it has been steadily reducing the number of auditors and tax collectors the IRS has at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/congress-is-supposed-to-fund-the-irs-and-it-has-been-steadily/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“By 2012 the average income of the vast majority had shrunk to the equivalent of 45 weeks of 1973 income—a 13 percent decline to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/by-2012-the-average-income-of-the-vast-majority-had-shrunk-to-the/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“No person, I think, ever saw a herd of buffalo, of which a few were fat and the great majority lean. No person ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/no-person-i-think-ever-saw-a-herd-of-buffalo-of-which-a-few-were-fat/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“The worst of these are laws in nineteen states that let companies pocket the state income taxes withheld from their workers’ paychecks for up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/the-worst-of-these-are-laws-in-nineteen-states-that-let-companies/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“it shouldn’t be the case that the only route out of poverty is to get married to someone who also has a job.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/it-shouldn-t-be-the-case-that-the-only-route-out-of-poverty-is-to-get/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“Halliburton’s is a more extreme example, one in which a powerful and wealthy company transcends national borders so thoroughly that it is not an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/halliburton-s-is-a-more-extreme-example-one-in-which-a-powerful-and/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“The real income reported on federal tax returns by the vast majority of Americans, the 90 percent, doubled between the end of the war and 1973.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/the-real-income-reported-on-federal-tax-returns-by-the-vast-majority/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [You, as a wage earner have to pay your taxes every year on your income for that year. So if you have a one-time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/you-as-a-wage-earner-have-to-pay-your-taxes-every-year-on-your-income/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“Social Security gives concrete expression to widely held and time-honored American commitments. Grounded in values of shared responsibility and concern for all members of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/social-security-gives-concrete-expression-to-widely-held-and-time/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“The anthropologist Elliot Liebow observed it in the men he chronicled in Tally’s Corner, his insightful 1967 book on the lives and attitudes of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/the-anthropologist-elliot-liebow-observed-it-in-the-men-he-chronicled/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“One change we believe should be made is increasing the maximum amount of wages on which Social Security’s contributions are assessed. Contributions are assessed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/one-change-we-believe-should-be-made-is-increasing-the-maximum-amount/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“Not surprisingly, this huge American “industry” has huge political clout—with the expansion of prosecutorial and correctional workers’ power, the growing number of lobbyists for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/not-surprisingly-this-huge-american-industry-has-huge-political-clout/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) [Explore all 67 David Cay Johnston quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) ## More Money quotes > [You've got to tell your money what to do or it will leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ramsey/you-ve-got-to-tell-your-money-what-to-do-or-it-will-leave/) [Dave Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ramsey/) > [Don't let's lose sight of what creates wealth. It is open markets, it is capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/don-t-let-s-lose-sight-of-what-creates-wealth-it-is-open-markets-it/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Money is the kind of instrument which is very speedily produced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-chubais/money-is-the-kind-of-instrument-which-is-very-speedily-produced/) [Anatoly Chubais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-chubais/) > [I would borrow money all day long, if the cost of borrowing is less than the expected return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/i-would-borrow-money-all-day-long-if-the-cost-of-borrowing-is-less/) [Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/) > [If you restore a car, and you're making money, then you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/if-you-restore-a-car-and-you-re-making-money-then-you-re-doing-it/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Maybe you can,t buy a big house.. A new car.. A huge diamond ring.. But if you have just one true friend who loves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy/maybe-you-can-t-buy-a-big-house-a-new-car-a-huge-diamond-ring-but-if/) Cathy > [“Don't allow money to become the yardstick by which you measure the worth of the world around you!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-james-pritchard/don-t-allow-money-to-become-the-yardstick-by-which-you-measure-the/) [Andrew James Pritchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-james-pritchard/) > [Academically, I was never that interested. I skipped classes. My biggest dream was to have a coffee shop, but I had no idea how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-espinosa/academically-i-was-never-that-interested-i-skipped-classes-my-biggest/) [Daniel Espinosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-espinosa/) > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [I doubt that we Americans can come to terms with our money neuroses without understanding the more florid pathology of the very rich for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-slater/i-doubt-that-we-americans-can-come-to-terms-with-our-money-neuroses/) [Philip Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-slater/) > [“The writer must earn money in order to be able to live and to write, but he must by no means live and write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/the-writer-must-earn-money-in-order-to-be-able-to-live-and-to-write/) [Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/) > [Jobs and money are never the primary cause of stress. Thinking, negative thinking causes stress. The real cause of all problems lie in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/jobs-and-money-are-never-the-primary-cause-of-stress-thinking/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Most paper money initially existed as a substitute for gold. That's what gave it value. But right now what gives a currency value is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/most-paper-money-initially-existed-as-a-substitute-for-gold-that-s/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [The man who works for the gold in the job rather than for the money in the pay envelope, is the fellow who gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-french-johnson/the-man-who-works-for-the-gold-in-the-job-rather-than-for-the-money/) Joseph French Johnson [Browse all 45,172 Money quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Before Ms. magazine was a gleam in Gloria Steinem’s eye, men had quite a deal. Married middle-class men often controlled the purse while enjoying the pleasures of a full-time homemaker, who might work a few hours here and there for “pin money” they could spend on themselves. 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