--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Thanks to feminism, women can now acquire…" description: "\"Thanks to feminism, women can now acquire status in two ways: through marriage or their own achievements. Cure cancer or marry the man who does, either..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/katha-pollitt-16599_achievement_thanks-to-feminism-women-can-now-acquire_1371003.png" --- # Thanks to feminism, women can now acquire status in two… ![“Thanks to feminism, women can now acquire status in two ways: through marriage or their own achievements. Cure cancer or marry the man who does, either way society will applaud. Unless he marries into the British royal family, it doesn't work that way for men. Wives shed no glory on their…” quote by Katha Pollitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/katha-pollitt-16599_achievement_thanks-to-feminism-women-can-now-acquire_1371003.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/katha-pollitt-16599_achievement_thanks-to-feminism-women-can-now-acquire_1371003.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/katha-pollitt-16599_achievement_thanks-to-feminism-women-can-now-acquire_1371003.png) > “Thanks to feminism, women can now acquire status in two ways: through marriage or their own achievements. Cure cancer or marry the man who does, either way society will applaud. Unless he marries into the British royal family, it doesn't work that way for men. Wives shed no glory on their husbands. Having tea with Nancy Reagan is an honor; having tea with Denis Thatcher is a joke.” [Katha Pollitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katha-pollitt/) ## 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 highlights gendered expectations: women gain status via marriage or achievement, while men lack comparable social validation through marriage. **In simple terms:** Women’s status is tied to marriage or achievement; men lack similar marriage prestige. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge gendered double standards. Themes gender equality social expectations marriage achievement double standard Mood critical reflective Type analytical commentary When to use this quote - career advancement - relationship dynamics - public recognition - media representation Key Concepts feminist critique social hierarchy Questions to Reflect On - How do societal expectations differ for men and women? - What steps can reduce gendered double standards? A Different Perspective The view may overlook men who gain status through marriage in certain cultures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Achievement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achievement/) [British](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/british/) [Cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Glory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glory/) [Honor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honor/) [Husband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/husband/) [Husbands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/husbands/) [Jokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jokes/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Royal family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/royal-family/) [Tea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tea/) [Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wife/) ## Related quotes > [I understood more what Nancy Reagan and Ronald Reagan, what they were coming from. 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Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [You'll notice that Nancy Reagan never drinks water when Ronnie speaks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/you-ll-notice-that-nancy-reagan-never-drinks-water-when-ronnie-speaks/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) ## More by Katha Pollitt > [“I should say that it was only for me that Marxism seemed over. Surely, I would tell G. at least once a week, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katha-pollitt/i-should-say-that-it-was-only-for-me-that-marxism-seemed-over-surely/) [Katha Pollitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katha-pollitt/) > [One of the very important ideas of feminism for me has always been women helping and supporting each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katha-pollitt/one-of-the-very-important-ideas-of-feminism-for-me-has-always-been/) [Katha Pollitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katha-pollitt/) > [funny how ready people are to believe that counseling, which even when voluntary takes years to modify garden-variety neuroses, can work wonders in months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katha-pollitt/funny-how-ready-people-are-to-believe-that-counseling-which-even-when/) [Katha Pollitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katha-pollitt/) > [Misogyny runs deeper than religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katha-pollitt/misogyny-runs-deeper-than-religion/) [Katha Pollitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katha-pollitt/) > [Why must the woman apologize for not having a baby just because she happened to get pregnant? 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In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katha-pollitt/when-it-comes-to-ideas-and-religions-are-among-other-things-ideas/) [Katha Pollitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katha-pollitt/) > [In a better world, science teachers would teach creationism along with evolution as an exercise in critical thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katha-pollitt/in-a-better-world-science-teachers-would-teach-creationism-along-with/) [Katha Pollitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katha-pollitt/) > [We need to say that women have sex, have abortions, are at peace with the decision and move on with their lives. We need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katha-pollitt/we-need-to-say-that-women-have-sex-have-abortions-are-at-peace-with/) [Katha Pollitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katha-pollitt/) > [“I’m a writer; I can float for hours on a word like “amethyst” or “broom” or the way so many words sound like what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katha-pollitt/i-m-a-writer-i-can-float-for-hours-on-a-word-like-amethyst-or-broom/) [Katha Pollitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katha-pollitt/) > [A feminist is a person who answers 'yes' to the question 'Are women human?' Feminism is not about whether women are better than, worse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katha-pollitt/a-feminist-is-a-person-who-answers-yes-to-the-question-are-women/) [Katha Pollitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katha-pollitt/) > [If you run into trouble doing what's expected, people sympathize with you, while if you try something else and flop everyone says, You see?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katha-pollitt/if-you-run-into-trouble-doing-what-s-expected-people-sympathize-with/) [Katha Pollitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katha-pollitt/) > [ When you consider that God could have commanded anything he wanted--anything!--the Ten \[Commandments\] have got to rank as one of the great missed moral… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katha-pollitt/when-you-consider-that-god-could-have-commanded-anything-he-wanted/) [Katha Pollitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katha-pollitt/) > [While woman sheds the Blood of Life each moon at menstruation, man can only shed the blood of death through warfare and killing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katha-pollitt/while-woman-sheds-the-blood-of-life-each-moon-at-menstruation-man-can/) [Katha Pollitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katha-pollitt/) [Explore all 39 Katha Pollitt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katha-pollitt/) ## More Achievement quotes > [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [“If attempting to make the world a civilized one, makes you a bad woman in the eyes of the dumb patriarchal society, then, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/if-attempting-to-make-the-world-a-civilized-one-makes-you-a-bad-woman/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [One achieves true human dignity only when one serves. Only he is great who subjects himself to taking part in the achievement of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-primo-de-rivera/one-achieves-true-human-dignity-only-when-one-serves-only-he-is-great/) Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera > [Needs cause motivation. 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