--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is not just that it is more difficult…" description: "\"“It is not just that it is more difficult for women to succeed; they get treated much more harshly if ever they mess up.”\" — Mary Beard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5f/mary-beard-3016_feminism_it-is-not-just-that-it-is-more-difficult_2593704.png" --- # It is not just that it is more difficult for women to… ![“It is not just that it is more difficult for women to succeed; they get treated much more harshly if ever they mess up.” quote by Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5f/mary-beard-3016_feminism_it-is-not-just-that-it-is-more-difficult_2593704.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5f/mary-beard-3016_feminism_it-is-not-just-that-it-is-more-difficult_2593704.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5f/mary-beard-3016_feminism_it-is-not-just-that-it-is-more-difficult_2593704.png) > ““It is not just that it is more difficult for women to succeed; they get treated much more harshly if ever they mess up.”” [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Women face harsher judgment for mistakes, amplifying gender bias in professional settings. **In simple terms:** Gender bias penalizes women. Key Takeaway Promote equitable treatment. Themes gender bias fairness Mood serious inspirational Type academic activist When to use this quote - workplace training - mentorship programs - policy reform - public discourse Key Concepts sociology organizational behavior Questions to Reflect On - How can allies support women after errors? - What structures reduce punitive gender norms? A Different Perspective Bias can be subtle and systemic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Difficult Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult-women-454922/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Harshly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harshly-487820/) [Succeed Treated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/succeed-treated-1883864/) [Treated Harshly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treated-harshly-1883863/) [Women Succeed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-succeed-807789/) ## Related quotes > [It has been said that life has treated me harshly; and sometimes I have complained in my heart because many pleasures of human experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/it-has-been-said-that-life-has-treated-me-harshly-and-sometimes-i/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [It was just very interesting to me that certain types of women inspire people's imagination, and all of them were very difficult women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wurtzel/it-was-just-very-interesting-to-me-that-certain-types-of-women/) [Elizabeth Wurtzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wurtzel/) > [“Bitch: In praise of difficult women.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wurtzel/bitch-in-praise-of-difficult-women/) [Elizabeth Wurtzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wurtzel/) > [Maybe I haven't done enough movies, but haven't found that men are more difficult than women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-pfeiffer/maybe-i-haven-t-done-enough-movies-but-haven-t-found-that-men-are/) [Michelle Pfeiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-pfeiffer/) > [Men have no idea how much more difficult it is for women in the rock and roll industry, and while we are trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolores-o-riordan/men-have-no-idea-how-much-more-difficult-it-is-for-women-in-the-rock/) [Dolores O'Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolores-o-riordan/) > [Although abortion has been legal nationwide for more than a quarter century, access remains difficult for many women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grimes/although-abortion-has-been-legal-nationwide-for-more-than-a-quarter/) [David Grimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grimes/) > [I think 'Bridesmaids' has changed things socially and culturally. Before, it was really difficult for women to do scatological humour without seeming gross.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebel-wilson/i-think-bridesmaids-has-changed-things-socially-and-culturally-before/) [Rebel Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebel-wilson/) > [I think that's why it's difficult for women when they watch TV and we see one version of a woman who is attached at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-maslany/i-think-that-s-why-it-s-difficult-for-women-when-they-watch-tv-and-we/) [Tatiana Maslany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-maslany/) > [I'm sure it's more difficult for women to make movies, especially because, in general, the kind of movies women want to make aren't necessarily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-holofcener/i-m-sure-it-s-more-difficult-for-women-to-make-movies-especially/) [Nicole Holofcener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-holofcener/) > [I don't know if I have any particular views about women in positions of power, though I do think it's more difficult for women,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-2/i-don-t-know-if-i-have-any-particular-views-about-women-in-positions/) [George R. R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/) > [I say to the women out there, remember how difficult it was for women like Justice O'Connor starting out. Even though she graduated with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryanne-trump-barry/i-say-to-the-women-out-there-remember-how-difficult-it-was-for-women/) [Maryanne Trump Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryanne-trump-barry/) > [“For difficult women, who should be celebrated for their very nature”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/for-difficult-women-who-should-be-celebrated-for-their-very-nature/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [There's so much going on in the healthcare system that makes it difficult for women to really have a strong economic hold if insurance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/there-s-so-much-going-on-in-the-healthcare-system-that-makes-it/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [Pregnancy is difficult for women but it is even more difficult for men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cheever/pregnancy-is-difficult-for-women-but-it-is-even-more-difficult-for-men/) [Susan Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cheever/) > [I think it's really difficult for women to be involved with sportsmen that travel, or men to be involved with men or women, whoever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-steyn/i-think-it-s-really-difficult-for-women-to-be-involved-with-sportsmen/) [Dale Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-steyn/) ## More by Mary Beard > [I receive something we might euphemistically call an 'inappropriately hostile' response - that is to say, more than fair criticism or even fair anger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/i-receive-something-we-might-euphemistically-call-an-inappropriately/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [We have never escaped a certain male cultural desire for women's silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/we-have-never-escaped-a-certain-male-cultural-desire-for-women-s/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [“defend women’s right to be wrong, at least occasionally.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/defend-women-s-right-to-be-wrong-at-least-occasionally/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [You don't overturn x-thousand years of patriarchy in a generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/you-don-t-overturn-x-thousand-years-of-patriarchy-in-a-generation/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [“we have no template for what a powerful woman looks like, except that she looks rather like a man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/we-have-no-template-for-what-a-powerful-woman-looks-like-except-that/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [“(In the Afghan parliament, apparently, they disconnect the mics when they don’t want to hear the women speak).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/in-the-afghan-parliament-apparently-they-disconnect-the-mics-when/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [I've chosen to be this way because that's how I feel comfortable with myself. That's how I am. It's about joining up the dots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/i-ve-chosen-to-be-this-way-because-that-s-how-i-feel-comfortable-with/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [People who exploit others come to spend an enormous amount of energy wondering about and justifying that exploitation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/people-who-exploit-others-come-to-spend-an-enormous-amount-of-energy/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [Wherever possible, I try to see things from the other side of the dividing line and to read civilisation 'against the grain.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/wherever-possible-i-try-to-see-things-from-the-other-side-of-the/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [I remember plastering the kitchen with Black Power pictures of Angela Davis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/i-remember-plastering-the-kitchen-with-black-power-pictures-of-angela/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [“thinking about power as an attribute or even a verb (‘to power’), not as a possession.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/thinking-about-power-as-an-attribute-or-even-a-verb-to-power-not-as-a/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [If women are not perceived to be fully within the structures of power, surely it is power that we need to redefine rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/if-women-are-not-perceived-to-be-fully-within-the-structures-of-power/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [When it comes to silencing women, Western culture has had thousands of years of practice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/when-it-comes-to-silencing-women-western-culture-has-had-thousands-of/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [I think that what will help women get into positions of power - well, day nurseries, equal pay, family-friendly working hours. And I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/i-think-that-what-will-help-women-get-into-positions-of-power-well/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [“One of its (civilisations) most powerful weapons has always been 'barbarity': 'we' know that 'we' are civilised by contrasting ourselves with those we deem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/one-of-its-civilisations-most-powerful-weapons-has-always-been/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) [Explore all 137 Mary Beard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) ## More Feminism quotes > [“But benevolent patriarchy is still patriarchy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/but-benevolent-patriarchy-is-still-patriarchy/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [“This story is not at all an uncommon one in tech circles, including gaming. The popular notion is that women who get ahead must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bailey-poland/this-story-is-not-at-all-an-uncommon-one-in-tech-circles-including/) [Bailey Poland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bailey-poland/) > [Without meaning to sound anti-men, ghastly women are the closest you get to a male role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-burke/without-meaning-to-sound-anti-men-ghastly-women-are-the-closest-you/) [Kathy Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-burke/) > [If the women in the factories stopped work for twenty minutes, the Allies would lose the war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joffre/if-the-women-in-the-factories-stopped-work-for-twenty-minutes-the/) [Joseph Joffre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joffre/) > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [“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/) > [“there was something of the women molded into the great, stalwart frame of Hollingsworth; nor was he ashamed of it; as men often are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-was-something-of-the-women-molded-into-the-great-stalwart-frame/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [Women rule the world. It's not really worth fighting because they know what they're doing. Ask Napoleon. Ask Adam. Ask Richard Burton or Richie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-bon-jovi/women-rule-the-world-it-s-not-really-worth-fighting-because-they-know/) [Jon Bon Jovi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-bon-jovi/) > [“Bármilyen idiótának, aki azt kérdezi: „Feminista vagy? Akkor elégeted a melltartóidat, mi? HE? Melltartókat égetsz, te feminista?” – szép nyugodtan így kell válaszolni: „Ostoba.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/b-rmilyen-idi-t-nak-aki-azt-k-rdezi-feminista-vagy-akkor-el-geted-a/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [People are capable of great, great change during the span of one lifetime. And women even more than men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/people-are-capable-of-great-great-change-during-the-span-of-one/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [Susan B. Anthony must be turning in her grave if she knew that millions of women who have the right to vote are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-m-kunin/susan-b-anthony-must-be-turning-in-her-grave-if-she-knew-that/) [Madeleine M. Kunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-m-kunin/) > [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [Women know things that men will never know. We keep the best secrets. We tell the best stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/women-know-things-that-men-will-never-know-we-keep-the-best-secrets/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/) [Yoram Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoram-wind/) [Browse all 15,705 Feminism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It is not just that it is more difficult for women to succeed; they get treated much more harshly if ever they mess up.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mary Beard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/it-is-not-just-that-it-is-more-difficult-for-women-to-succeed-they/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Feminism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/it-is-not-just-that-it-is-more-difficult-for-women-to-succeed-they/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5f/mary-beard-3016_feminism_it-is-not-just-that-it-is-more-difficult_2593704.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5f/mary-beard-3016_feminism_it-is-not-just-that-it-is-more-difficult_2593704.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5f/mary-beard-3016_feminism_it-is-not-just-that-it-is-more-difficult_2593704.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is not just that it is more difficult for women to succeed; they get treated much more harshly if ever…” — Mary Beard", "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": "Mary Beard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It is not just that it...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/it-is-not-just-that-it-is-more-difficult-for-women-to-succeed-they/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/it-is-not-just-that-it-is-more-difficult-for-women-to-succeed-they/#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 } } ] } ```