Dignity Quote by Harriet Brooks
““I think it is a duty I owe to my profession and to my sex to show that a woman has a right to the practice of her profession and cannot be condemned to abandon it merely because she marries. I cannot conceive how women's colleges, inviting and encouraging women to enter professions can be justly founded or maintained denying such a principle. [ From a letter Brooks wrote to her dean, knowing that she would be told to resign if she married, she asked to keep her job. Nevertheless, she lost her teaching position at Barnard College in 1906. Dean Gill wrote that 'The dignity of women's place in the home demands that your marriage shall be a resignation .']””
About This Quote
Source Letter: Correspondence with Dean Gill, Barnard College, 1906
Women should retain professional rights despite marriage; marriage should not force resignation.
In simple terms: Marriage should not end a woman's career.
Key Takeaway
Advocate for gender equality in professional life.
Themes
gender equality
career
marriage
women’s rights
Mood
determined
inspirational
Type
Dignity:1
Duty:1
Job:1
Marriage:1
Principle:1
Profession:1
Resignation:1
Science:0
Sexism:1
Teaching:1
Women:1
Encouraging Women:1
Demands Marriage:0
Marriage Shall:0
Profession Condemned:0
Shall Resignation:0
Owe Profession:0
When to use this quote
- early 20th‑century academia
- women’s labor rights
- legal advocacy
Key Concepts
professional duty
sexism
academic freedom
historical letter
Questions to Reflect On
- How can institutions protect married professionals today?
- What policies ensure gender‑fair workplaces?
A Different Perspective
Historical context may limit modern applicability.
![“(Response to King Erik XIV of Sweden's proposal of marriage:) "[W]hile we perceive ... the zeal and love of your mind towards us is not diminished, yet in part we are grieved that we cannot gratify your Serene Highness with the same kind of affection. And that indeed does not happen because we…” quote by Elizabeth I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/465/elizabeth-i-3475_bachelorhood_response-to-king-erik-xiv-of-sweden-s-pr_2943576.jpg)
