---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why do men feel threatened by women?"
description: "\"Why do men feel threatened by women?\" — Margaret Atwood"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61b/margaret-atwood-40_feel_why-do-men-feel-threatened-by-women-2726_2726075.jpg"
---

#  Why do men feel threatened by women?

![“Why do men feel threatened by women?” quote by Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61b/margaret-atwood-40_feel_why-do-men-feel-threatened-by-women-2726_2726075.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61b/margaret-atwood-40_feel_why-do-men-feel-threatened-by-women-2726_2726075.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61b/margaret-atwood-40_feel_why-do-men-feel-threatened-by-women-2726_2726075.jpg)

> “Why do men feel threatened by women?”

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

## About This Quote

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

It suggests that patriarchal insecurity stems from fear of women’s autonomy and influence.

**In simple terms:** Men fear women’s power.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and challenge gendered insecurities.

Themes

gender power insecurity patriarchy

Mood

anxious reflective

Type

critical analytical

When to use this quote

- workplace negotiations
- political debates
- personal relationships
- media representation

Key Concepts

masculinity fear of loss of control social dominance

Questions to Reflect On

- How does societal conditioning shape male fear?
- What can men do to feel secure without undermining women?

A Different Perspective

It may overlook men who support gender equality and are not threatened.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel/) [Feel Threatened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-threatened/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-feel/) [Threatened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threatened/) [Threatened Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threatened-women-832652/)

## Related quotes

> [“Tell me, Elly Kleinman, why do men feel threatened by women?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/tell-me-elly-kleinman-why-do-men-feel-threatened-by-women/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Why do men feel threatened by women?' I asked a male friend of mine. So this male friend of mine, who does by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/why-do-men-feel-threatened-by-women-i-asked-a-male-friend-of-mine-so/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [Men tend to feel threatened; women tend to feel guilty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-louis-cole/men-tend-to-feel-threatened-women-tend-to-feel-guilty/)

[Edwin Louis Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-louis-cole/)

> [It's ironic that the people who are suppose to be our friends are the ones we feel the most threatened by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-ironic-that-the-people-who-are-suppose-to-be-our-friends-are-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I feel threatened, and sometimes it makes me angry because I can't do anything about that, there's just too many issues. But in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/klaus-nomi/i-feel-threatened-and-sometimes-it-makes-me-angry-because-i-can-t-do/)

[Klaus Nomi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/klaus-nomi/)

> [Those who feel threatened by you or your success will seek to tear you down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomi-lahren/those-who-feel-threatened-by-you-or-your-success-will-seek-to-tear/)

[Tomi Lahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomi-lahren/)

> [If you go out for a jog you feel threatened because all of these men start following you, cat-calling and whistling at you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/momina-mustehsan/if-you-go-out-for-a-jog-you-feel-threatened-because-all-of-these-men/)

[Momina Mustehsan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/momina-mustehsan/)

> [We must develop a federal program of public works, retraining, and jobs for all - so that none, white or black, will have cause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/we-must-develop-a-federal-program-of-public-works-retraining-and-jobs/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [The thing that makes countries want to pursue some kind of nuclear deterrent is precisely the fact that they feel threatened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-thing-that-makes-countries-want-to-pursue-some-kind-of-nuclear/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Men find powerful women so threatening, and finding a partner was starting to look laughable, because I would be really attracted to guys and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-palmer/men-find-powerful-women-so-threatening-and-finding-a-partner-was/)

[Amanda Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-palmer/)

> [Cats never feel threatened. They are genetically incapable of accepting that anyone could possibly dislike anything as perfect as a cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-young/cats-never-feel-threatened-they-are-genetically-incapable-of/)

[Kathy Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-young/)

> [I think that in the immediate aftermath of a superhuman machine intelligence revealing itself, most people would feel very threatened but take solace in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-casti/i-think-that-in-the-immediate-aftermath-of-a-superhuman-machine/)

[John L. Casti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-casti/)

> [Whenever you feel threatened or afraid, you should place your hands over your third chakra, right in the middle of your stomach, and breathe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-choquette/whenever-you-feel-threatened-or-afraid-you-should-place-your-hands/)

[Sonia Choquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-choquette/)

> [Team members who feel threatened but who are not aware of it become rigid - and that stops teamwork.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-schutz/team-members-who-feel-threatened-but-who-are-not-aware-of-it-become/)

[William Schutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-schutz/)

> [There's a diversion between economic reality - integration, global village, everybody depending on everybody else - and cultural reality, which is people feeling invaded,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-green/there-s-a-diversion-between-economic-reality-integration-global/)

[Duncan Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-green/)

## More by Margaret Atwood

> [“I'm fine," said Pilar, "for the moment. And the moment is the only time we can be fine in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-m-fine-said-pilar-for-the-moment-and-the-moment-is-the-only-time-we/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [And yet it disturbs me to learn I have hurt someone unintentionally. I want all my hurts to be intentional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/and-yet-it-disturbs-me-to-learn-i-have-hurt-someone-unintentionally-i/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Mary: Some call this "Eve's curse," but I think that is stupid because the real curse of Eve was having to put up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/mary-some-call-this-eve-s-curse-but-i-think-that-is-stupid-because/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“The birds were singing around me, but I reflected that the very birds were strangers to me, for I did not even know their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-birds-were-singing-around-me-but-i-reflected-that-the-very-birds/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Strange how we decorate pain. These ribbons, for instance, and the small hard teardrops of blood. Who are they for? Do we think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/strange-how-we-decorate-pain-these-ribbons-for-instance-and-the-small/)

[margaret atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [I wanted to forget the past, but it refused to forget me; it waited for sleep, then cornered me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-wanted-to-forget-the-past-but-it-refused-to-forget-me-it-waited-for/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Back at home they drew the curtains and read, with disapproval, with relish, with avidity and glee - even the ones who'd never thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/back-at-home-they-drew-the-curtains-and-read-with-disapproval-with/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“It's my fault. I am forgetting too much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/it-s-my-fault-i-am-forgetting-too-much/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [All fiction is about people, unless it's about rabbits pretending to be people. It's all essentially characters in action, which means characters moving through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/all-fiction-is-about-people-unless-it-s-about-rabbits-pretending-to/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Simon walks back to the house alone. The night is clear and warm, with a moon, almost full, enclosed in a nimbus of mist;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/simon-walks-back-to-the-house-alone-the-night-is-clear-and-warm-with/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“There is indeed something delightful about being able to combine obedience and disobedience in the same act.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/there-is-indeed-something-delightful-about-being-able-to-combine/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Every time the women appear, Snowman is astonished all over again. They're every known colour from the deepest black to whitest white, they're various…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/every-time-the-women-appear-snowman-is-astonished-all-over-again-they/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [Once you publish a book, it is out of your control. You cannot dictate how people read it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/once-you-publish-a-book-it-is-out-of-your-control-you-cannot-dictate/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“The more difficult it was to love the particular man beside us, the more we believed in Love, abstract and total. We were waiting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-more-difficult-it-was-to-love-the-particular-man-beside-us-the/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“She knows she's deceiving herself about that, but she prefers to deceive herself. She desperately needs to believe such pure joy is still possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/she-knows-she-s-deceiving-herself-about-that-but-she-prefers-to/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

[Explore all 2,072 Margaret Atwood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

## More Feel quotes

> [I feel like I definitely have a real sporty style, more so than a lot of people in G.O.O.D. Music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/i-feel-like-i-definitely-have-a-real-sporty-style-more-so-than-a-lot/)

[Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/)

> [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/)

[Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/)

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [I feel I handle the pressure situations well, and that's why I want to be there at the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/i-feel-i-handle-the-pressure-situations-well-and-that-s-why-i-want-to/)

[AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/)

> [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/)

[Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/)

> [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/)

[Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/)

> [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/)

[Adam Ant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ant/)

> [I feel as though I've fooled the world into thinking I'm an adult and now they're letting me procreate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/i-feel-as-though-i-ve-fooled-the-world-into-thinking-i-m-an-adult-and/)

[George Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/)

> [I feel like I could eat the world raw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/i-feel-like-i-could-eat-the-world-raw/)

[Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/)

> [I like to wear bodysuits and things that make me feel really active and athletic and also really sensual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hawley-weld/i-like-to-wear-bodysuits-and-things-that-make-me-feel-really-active/)

[Sophie Hawley-Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hawley-weld/)

> [You can't force people to feel in a certain way, and the sooner you understand that,the better. I feel everything has its way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidharth-malhotra/you-can-t-force-people-to-feel-in-a-certain-way-and-the-sooner-you/)

[Sidharth Malhotra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidharth-malhotra/)

> [You make me feel brand new today. Even my day is full of trials and pain…Thanks for everything...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lantapi/you-make-me-feel-brand-new-today-even-my-day-is-full-of-trials-and/)

[Richard Lantapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lantapi/)

> [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/)

[Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/)

> [I don't know how people feel,that's the beauty of TV, is they can see us, but we can't see them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/i-don-t-know-how-people-feel-that-s-the-beauty-of-tv-is-they-can-see/)

[Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/)

> [I feel like I'm the best, but you're not going to get me to say that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-rice/i-feel-like-i-m-the-best-but-you-re-not-going-to-get-me-to-say-that/)

[Jerry Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-rice/)

[Browse all 26,675 Feel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Why do men feel threatened by women?",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Margaret Atwood"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/why-do-men-feel-threatened-by-women/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Feel"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/why-do-men-feel-threatened-by-women/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61b/margaret-atwood-40_feel_why-do-men-feel-threatened-by-women-2726_2726075.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61b/margaret-atwood-40_feel_why-do-men-feel-threatened-by-women-2726_2726075.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61b/margaret-atwood-40_feel_why-do-men-feel-threatened-by-women-2726_2726075.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Why do men feel threatened by women?” — Margaret Atwood",
                "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": "Margaret Atwood",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Why do men feel threatened by...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/why-do-men-feel-threatened-by-women/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/why-do-men-feel-threatened-by-women/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
