---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Women have been charged with deviousness…"
description: "\"Women have been charged with deviousness and duplicity since the dawn of civilization so they have never been able to pretend that their masks were any..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ea/germaine-greer-1521_able_women-have-been-charged-with-deviousness_63479.jpg"
---

#  Women have been charged with deviousness and duplicity…

![“Women have been charged with deviousness and duplicity since the dawn of civilization so they have never been able to pretend that their masks were anything but masks. It is a slender case but perhaps it does mean that women have always been in closer contact with reality than men: it would seem…” quote by Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ea/germaine-greer-1521_able_women-have-been-charged-with-deviousness_63479.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ea/germaine-greer-1521_able_women-have-been-charged-with-deviousness_63479.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ea/germaine-greer-1521_able_women-have-been-charged-with-deviousness_63479.jpg)

> “Women have been charged with deviousness and duplicity since the dawn of civilization so they have never been able to pretend that their masks were anything but masks. It is a slender case but perhaps it does mean that women have always been in closer contact with reality than men: it would seem to be the just recompense for being deprived of idealism.”

[Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote argues that women have historically been labeled as deceitful, forcing them to confront reality directly, unlike men who can indulge in idealism.

**In simple terms:** Women face harsher judgments, leading to pragmatic realism.

Key Takeaway

Societal stereotypes shape gendered experiences of truth.

Themes

gender dynamics social labeling reality vs idealism historical oppression psychology of perception

Mood

critical reflective provocative

Type

aphilosophical feminist social commentary

When to use this quote

- examining gendered expectations
- analyzing historical narratives
- discussing feminist theory
- teaching social psychology
- writing critical essays

Key Concepts

gender bias social construction authenticity power structures

Practical Applications

- gender studies curricula
- media analysis of stereotypes

Questions to Reflect On

- How do societal labels affect personal authenticity?
- In what ways can confronting reality be both empowering and limiting?

A Different Perspective

Some argue that both genders have faced different forms of idealism, making the binary comparison oversimplified.

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[Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Dawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dawn/) [Duplicity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duplicity/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Idealism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idealism/) [Mask](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mask/) [Masks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masks/) [Mean Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean-women/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Recompense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recompense/)

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