Aspiration Quote by Gerda Lerner
“The effect on men has been very bad, too, of the omission of women's history, because men have been given the impression that they're much more important in the world than they actually are. It has fostered illusions of grandeur in every man that are unwarranted. If you can think as a man that everything great in the world and its civilization was created by men, then naturally you have to look down on women. And naturally, you have to have different aspirations for your sons and for your daughters.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Creation of History, 1991
Excluding women’s history inflates men’s perceived importance, creating false grandeur and gender bias.
In simple terms: Leaving out women skews history.
Key Takeaway
Include women’s contributions to balance narratives.
Themes
gender
history
identity
Mood
reflective
inspirational
Type
educational
activist
When to use this quote
- education curricula
- media representation
- family upbringing
Key Concepts
feminist theory
social construction
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we rewrite curricula?
- What impact does balanced history have?
A Different Perspective
Overcoming entrenched biases requires systemic change.
![“Men develop ideas and systems of explanation by absorbing past knowledge and critiquing and superseding it. Women, ignorant of their own history [do] not know what women before them had thought and taught. So generation after generation, they [struggle] for insights others had already had before…” quote by Gerda Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/01f/gerda-lerner-28685_constant_men-develop-ideas-and-systems-of-explana_1757578.jpg)
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