Depends Quote by Gloria Steinem
“Sex and race, because they are easy and visible differences, have been the primary ways of organizing human beings into superior and inferior groups and into the cheap labour on which this system still depends.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Interview on Gender and Race, 1972
Society sorts people into hierarchies using visible traits like sex and race, creating superior/inferior groups and exploiting the latter as cheap labor.
In simple terms: Visible traits create social hierarchies and cheap labor.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and challenge these hierarchies.
Themes
equality
social justice
intersectionality
labor exploitation
Mood
critical
determined
hopeful
Type
analytical
activist
When to use this quote
- Workplace hiring
- policy making
- education curricula
- activist organizing
Key Concepts
Power structures
social categorization
economic dependence
Questions to Reflect On
- How do visible differences shape your daily interactions?
- What policies could reduce labor exploitation based on hierarchy?
A Different Perspective
These categories can be reinforced by cultural narratives and economic incentives, making change difficult.
![“Women's education has a much greater impact [on], for example, fertility. Men's education, if our studies are correct, ha[s] almost no impact on fertility. Women's do. So, by the way, as a man, it's not to the glory of men specifically that it's women's education that reduces child mortality.” quote by Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/597/amartya-sen-2518_children_women-s-education-has-a-much-greater-imp_1521281.jpg)
