--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A gender-equal society would be one where…" description: "\"A gender-equal society would be one where the word 'gender' does not exist: where everyone can be themselves.\" — Gloria Steinem" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32f/gloria-steinem-277_community_a-gender-equal-society-would-be-one-wher_2169088.jpg" --- # A gender-equal society would be one where the word… ![“A gender-equal society would be one where the word 'gender' does not exist: where everyone can be themselves.” quote by Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32f/gloria-steinem-277_community_a-gender-equal-society-would-be-one-wher_2169088.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32f/gloria-steinem-277_community_a-gender-equal-society-would-be-one-wher_2169088.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32f/gloria-steinem-277_community_a-gender-equal-society-would-be-one-wher_2169088.jpg) > “A gender-equal society would be one where the word 'gender' does not exist: where everyone can be themselves.” [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True equality erases gender categories, letting everyone be themselves. **In simple terms:** Equality means no gender labels. Key Takeaway Advocate for societies beyond gender binaries. Themes equality identity social justice Mood optimistic determined Type activist visionary When to use this quote - policy reform - education - media representation Key Concepts gender theory human rights Questions to Reflect On - How would a gender‑free world function? - What steps can you take toward that vision? A Different Perspective Changing deep‑seated norms is hard. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/does/) [Equal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equal/) [Equal Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equal-society-425224/) [Everyone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everyone/) [Exist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exist/) [Gender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gender/) [Gender Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gender-does-1348132/) [Gender Equal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gender-equal-2128902/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) [Themselves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/themselves/) [Where](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/where/) [Word](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/word/) [Word Gender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/word-gender-898501/) [Would](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would/) ## Related quotes > [Gender is not something that one is, it is something one does, an act… a doing rather than a being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/gender-is-not-something-that-one-is-it-is-something-one-does-an-act-a/) [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) > [This is going to sound cliché perhaps, but I would say to not second-guess yourself. It's difficult to talk about because gender does play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-loktev/this-is-going-to-sound-clich-perhaps-but-i-would-say-to-not-second/) [Julia Loktev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-loktev/) > [“Instead of saying that all gender is this or all gender is that, let's recognize that the word gender has scores of meaning built…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bornstein/instead-of-saying-that-all-gender-is-this-or-all-gender-is-that-let-s/) [Kate Bornstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bornstein/) > [When I was five, long before I understood what the word 'gender' meant, I would always tell my mother that I wished I were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-totah/when-i-was-five-long-before-i-understood-what-the-word-gender-meant-i/) [Josie Totah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-totah/) > [I think writer is a word without gender, and a good writer observes, absorbs, hopefully empathizes then translates that into character and story. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/i-think-writer-is-a-word-without-gender-and-a-good-writer-observes/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [Governments can't credibly claim to be concerned about stagnant growth and ageing workforces unless they are actively seeking to empower women economically. One way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arancha-gonzalez/governments-can-t-credibly-claim-to-be-concerned-about-stagnant/) [Arancha Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arancha-gonzalez/) > [It doesn't matter what the colour of your skin is, your sexual preference, the region where you were born, your gender. We're all equal...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jair-bolsonaro/it-doesn-t-matter-what-the-colour-of-your-skin-is-your-sexual/) [Jair Bolsonaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jair-bolsonaro/) > [“But consider a paper published in Science in 2008.1 The authors examined the relationship between math scores and sexual equality in forty countries (based…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/but-consider-a-paper-published-in-science-in-2008-1-the-authors/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [I think anybody has - regardless of your gender, we all have equal value. If you have value to bring and value to provide,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-mcmahon/i-think-anybody-has-regardless-of-your-gender-we-all-have-equal-value/) [Stephanie McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-mcmahon/) > [Educational equality doesn't guarantee equality on the labor market. Even the most developed countries are not gender-equal. There are still glass ceilings and 'leaky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-bachelet/educational-equality-doesn-t-guarantee-equality-on-the-labor-market/) [Michelle Bachelet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-bachelet/) > [I'm like everyone, I would hope for a fair and equal society and making great strides to create opportunities for women in the men's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-hayes/i-m-like-everyone-i-would-hope-for-a-fair-and-equal-society-and/) [Emma Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-hayes/) > [I believe in a relatively equal society, supported by institutions that limit extremes of wealth and poverty. I believe in democracy, civil liberties, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/i-believe-in-a-relatively-equal-society-supported-by-institutions/) [Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/) > [We've lost leaders from Abraham Lincoln to Martin Luther King, Jr. and countless others who have worked to bend the arc of the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-northam/we-ve-lost-leaders-from-abraham-lincoln-to-martin-luther-king-jr-and/) [Ralph Northam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-northam/) > [Just and equal society could be made by drastically improving the condition of India's public schools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atishi/just-and-equal-society-could-be-made-by-drastically-improving-the/) [Atishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atishi/) > [We're not going to create a more equal society by not prodding at it, are we?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wade/we-re-not-going-to-create-a-more-equal-society-by-not-prodding-at-it/) [Laura Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wade/) ## More by Gloria Steinem > [People waste more time waiting for someone to take charge of their lives than they do in any other pursuit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/people-waste-more-time-waiting-for-someone-to-take-charge-of-their/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Nothing will happen automatically. Change depends on what you and I do every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/nothing-will-happen-automatically-change-depends-on-what-you-and-i-do/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Women are never again going to be mindless coffee-makers or mindless policy-makers in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/women-are-never-again-going-to-be-mindless-coffee-makers-or-mindless/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [The state of female artists is very good. But the very definition of art has been biased in that 'art' was what men did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-state-of-female-artists-is-very-good-but-the-very-definition-of/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [We will live to see the day that St. Patrick's Cathedral is a child-care center and the pope is no longer a disgrace to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/we-will-live-to-see-the-day-that-st-patrick-s-cathedral-is-a-child/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Just when you thought multi-nationals and crazed consumerism were too big to fight, along comes Naomi Klein with facts, spirit, and news of successful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/just-when-you-thought-multi-nationals-and-crazed-consumerism-were-too/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I don't know Beyoncé, but I have the impression that she's sincere, that she really is a feminist and wanted to put the word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-don-t-know-beyonc-but-i-have-the-impression-that-she-s-sincere-that/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I started out life as a writer, and writers write in part because they don't want to talk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-started-out-life-as-a-writer-and-writers-write-in-part-because-they/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Proust's tea cake has nothing on one hour in a college dorm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/proust-s-tea-cake-has-nothing-on-one-hour-in-a-college-dorm/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Sadomasochiasm - which we know very well doesn't exist in societies that don't have child abuse - is regarded some sort of natural sexual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/sadomasochiasm-which-we-know-very-well-doesn-t-exist-in-societies/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Behave like everything you do matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/behave-like-everything-you-do-matters/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“Part of traveling over years means coming back to the same place and knowing it for the first time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/part-of-traveling-over-years-means-coming-back-to-the-same-place-and/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [If you say, I'm for equal pay, that's a reform. But if you say. I'm a feminist, that's a transformation of society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/if-you-say-i-m-for-equal-pay-that-s-a-reform-but-if-you-say-i-m-a/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I think that part of everybody's success is due to their looks, but it just works in different ways. If you're whatever society calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-think-that-part-of-everybody-s-success-is-due-to-their-looks-but-it/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Of course, we can change. We're very adaptable. But it takes a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/of-course-we-can-change-we-re-very-adaptable-but-it-takes-a-while/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) [Explore all 766 Gloria Steinem quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) ## More Community quotes > [Race is the idea that a human being is more superior than another human being, race in society grants illusional rights to mistreat each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/race-is-the-idea-that-a-human-being-is-more-superior-than-another/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/) [Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/) > [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/) [Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/) > [The strains and stresses suffered by the individual in society are grounded in the normal functioning of that society (and of the individual!) rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-marcuse/the-strains-and-stresses-suffered-by-the-individual-in-society-are/) [Herbert Marcuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-marcuse/) > [Hackney gets a bit of a bad rap, but it's the only place I've ever lived that felt like a community. I know my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-horgan/hackney-gets-a-bit-of-a-bad-rap-but-it-s-the-only-place-i-ve-ever/) [Sharon Horgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-horgan/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [It rolls off my back. Ridicule doesn't mean anything - even from people you're supposed to wear knee pads around, like the scientific community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-schultz/it-rolls-off-my-back-ridicule-doesn-t-mean-anything-even-from-people/) [Dwight Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-schultz/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. Parents who have little support--from friends, relatives, neighbors, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/parents-who-are-stressed-or-disturbed-will-have-more-difficulty-in/) [Sheila Kamerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-kamerman/) > [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [Perhaps the greatest and least visible form of impoverishment caused by the Corporate State is the destruction of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-reich/perhaps-the-greatest-and-least-visible-form-of-impoverishment-caused/) [Charles A. Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-reich/) [Browse all 13,840 Community quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A gender-equal society would be one where the word 'gender' does not exist: where everyone can be themselves.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gloria Steinem" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/a-gender-equal-society-would-be-one-where-the-word-gender-does-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Community" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/a-gender-equal-society-would-be-one-where-the-word-gender-does-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32f/gloria-steinem-277_community_a-gender-equal-society-would-be-one-wher_2169088.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32f/gloria-steinem-277_community_a-gender-equal-society-would-be-one-wher_2169088.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32f/gloria-steinem-277_community_a-gender-equal-society-would-be-one-wher_2169088.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A gender-equal society would be one where the word 'gender' does not exist: where everyone can be themselves.” — Gloria Steinem", "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": "Gloria Steinem", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A gender-equal society would be one...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/a-gender-equal-society-would-be-one-where-the-word-gender-does-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/a-gender-equal-society-would-be-one-where-the-word-gender-does-not/#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 } } ] } ```