---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Tokenism does not change stereotypes of…"
description: "\"Tokenism does not change stereotypes of social systems but works to preserve them, since it dulls the revolutionary impulse.\" — Mary Daly"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/179/mary-daly-12589_change_tokenism-does-not-change-stereotypes-of_432434.jpg"
---

#  Tokenism does not change stereotypes of social systems but…

![“Tokenism does not change stereotypes of social systems but works to preserve them, since it dulls the revolutionary impulse.” quote by Mary Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/179/mary-daly-12589_change_tokenism-does-not-change-stereotypes-of_432434.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/179/mary-daly-12589_change_tokenism-does-not-change-stereotypes-of_432434.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/179/mary-daly-12589_change_tokenism-does-not-change-stereotypes-of_432434.jpg)

> “Tokenism does not change stereotypes of social systems but works to preserve them, since it dulls the revolutionary impulse.”

[Mary Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-daly/)

## About This Quote

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

Tokenism masks inequality, keeping existing power structures intact by dampening revolutionary drive.

**In simple terms:** Tokenism hides inequality, preserving the system.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and challenge superficial inclusion.

Themes

social justice power dynamics activism

Mood

critical reflective

Type

analytical political

When to use this quote

- workplace diversity training
- political movements
- community organizing

Key Concepts

feminist theory systemic oppression

Questions to Reflect On

- How does tokenism affect real change?
- What alternatives promote genuine inclusion?

A Different Perspective

Tokenism can also raise awareness if used critically.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Change Stereotypes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-stereotypes-3808071/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Impulse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impulse/) [Inspiring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiring/) [Preserves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preserves/) [Revolutionary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolutionary/) [Revolutionary Impulse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolutionary-impulse-3808070/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social systems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-systems/) [Stereotype](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stereotype/) [Stereotypes Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stereotypes-social-2935493/) [Tokenism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tokenism-192385/) [Tokenism Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tokenism-does-3808069/)

## Related quotes

> [ \[The South\] is \*\*\*\*ed for its virtues and praised for its faults, and there are those who wish its annihilation. But most revealing of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-weaver/the-south-is-ed-for-its-virtues-and-praised-for-its-faults-and-there/)

[Richard M. Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-weaver/)

> [For me, be it 'Arth' or 'Libaas' or 'Masoom,' there has always been space to break stereotypes or social constructs and perform beyond the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shabana-azmi/for-me-be-it-arth-or-libaas-or-masoom-there-has-always-been-space-to/)

[Shabana Azmi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shabana-azmi/)

> [The white man will keep on granting tokenism; a few big Negroes will get big jobs, but the black masses will catch hell as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/the-white-man-will-keep-on-granting-tokenism-a-few-big-negroes-will/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [Now the white man's time is over. Tokenism will not help him, and it will doom us. Complete separation will save us - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/now-the-white-man-s-time-is-over-tokenism-will-not-help-him-and-it/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [Better jobs and housing are only temporary solutions. They are aspects of tokenism and don't go to the heart of the problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/better-jobs-and-housing-are-only-temporary-solutions-they-are-aspects/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [ The same is true of ranking him thus against any work of literature. \[Bob Dylan\] has been made, through no fault of his own,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bennun/the-same-is-true-of-ranking-him-thus-against-any-work-of-literature/)

[David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bennun/)

> [Climate has always changed year on year and is unstoppable as a phenomenon. I am sceptical of the 'evidence' being presented as fact and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-donohoe/climate-has-always-changed-year-on-year-and-is-unstoppable-as-a/)

[Brian Donohoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-donohoe/)

> [It has been nine years since the Supreme Court decision outlawing segregated schools, yet less than ten per cent of the Negro students in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/it-has-been-nine-years-since-the-supreme-court-decision-outlawing/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [Education must be a great equaliser in our society. It must be the tool to level the differences that our various social systems have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajiv-gandhi/education-must-be-a-great-equaliser-in-our-society-it-must-be-the/)

[Rajiv Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajiv-gandhi/)

> [I believe there are huge numbers of people in this country who would be willing to have radical changes in our economic and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/i-believe-there-are-huge-numbers-of-people-in-this-country-who-would/)

[Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/)

> [The American system demands success, and in order to succeed we must first believe that we can. Yet our society, with its intolerance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/the-american-system-demands-success-and-in-order-to-succeed-we-must/)

[Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/)

> [“As things stand the "intellectuals" only come out to lick the bones left over by the tyrant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nilantha-ilangamuwa/as-things-stand-the-intellectuals-only-come-out-to-lick-the-bones/)

[Nilantha Ilangamuwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nilantha-ilangamuwa/)

> [In all social systems there must be a class to do the menial duties, to perform the drudgery of life. That is, a class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-henry-hammond/in-all-social-systems-there-must-be-a-class-to-do-the-menial-duties/)

[James Henry Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-henry-hammond/)

> [Only art is capable of dismantling the repressive effects of a senile social system that continues to totter along the deathline: to dismantle in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-beuys/only-art-is-capable-of-dismantling-the-repressive-effects-of-a-senile/)

[Joseph Beuys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-beuys/)

> [I think that consumerism is intrinsically a pretty flawed social system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-elkington/i-think-that-consumerism-is-intrinsically-a-pretty-flawed-social/)

[John Elkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-elkington/)

## More by Mary Daly

> [You become courageous by doing courageous acts...Courage is a habit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-daly/you-become-courageous-by-doing-courageous-acts-courage-is-a-habit/)

[Mary Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-daly/)

> [God's plan' is often a front for men's plans and a cover for inadequacy, ignorance, and evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-daly/god-s-plan-is-often-a-front-for-men-s-plans-and-a-cover-for/)

[Mary Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-daly/)

> [I don't want to be a fulfilled woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-daly/i-don-t-want-to-be-a-fulfilled-woman/)

[Mary Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-daly/)

> [You guard against decay, in general, and stagnation, by moving, by continuing to move.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-daly/you-guard-against-decay-in-general-and-stagnation-by-moving-by/)

[Mary Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-daly/)

> [I'm a complete deviant. All creative work breaks new ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-daly/i-m-a-complete-deviant-all-creative-work-breaks-new-ground/)

[Mary Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-daly/)

> [The word ‘sin’ is derived from the Indo-European root ‘es-,’ meaning ‘to be.’ When I discovered this etymology, I intuitively understood that for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-daly/the-word-sin-is-derived-from-the-indo-european-root-es-meaning-to-be/)

[Mary Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-daly/)

> [The Adequate Protest demands far more than protests. It calls for Great and Daring Leaps of Integrity and Courage to See.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-daly/the-adequate-protest-demands-far-more-than-protests-it-calls-for/)

[Mary Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-daly/)

> [Why indeed must 'God' be a noun? Why not a verb - the most active and dynamic of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-daly/why-indeed-must-god-be-a-noun-why-not-a-verb-the-most-active-and/)

[Mary Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-daly/)

> [Within a culture possessed by the myth of feminine evil, the naming, describing, and theorizing about good and evil has constituted a maze/haze of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-daly/within-a-culture-possessed-by-the-myth-of-feminine-evil-the-naming/)

[Mary Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-daly/)

> [I hate the Bible. I always did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-daly/i-hate-the-bible-i-always-did/)

[Mary Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-daly/)

> [I hope that in its richness, as well as in its incompleteness, Gyn/Ecology will continue to be a Labrys enabling women to learn from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-daly/i-hope-that-in-its-richness-as-well-as-in-its-incompleteness-gyn/)

[Mary Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-daly/)

> [Women have had the power of naming stolen from us. We have not been free to use our own power to name ourselves, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-daly/women-have-had-the-power-of-naming-stolen-from-us-we-have-not-been/)

[Mary Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-daly/)

> [There are and will be those who think I have gone overboard. Let them rest assured that this assessment is correct, probably beyond their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-daly/there-are-and-will-be-those-who-think-i-have-gone-overboard-let-them/)

[Mary Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-daly/)

> [Male religion entombs women in sepulchres of silence in order to chant its own eternal and dreary dirge to a past that never was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-daly/male-religion-entombs-women-in-sepulchres-of-silence-in-order-to/)

[Mary Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-daly/)

> [Patriarchy has stolen our cosmos and returned it in the form of 'Cosmopolitan' magazine and cosmetics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-daly/patriarchy-has-stolen-our-cosmos-and-returned-it-in-the-form-of/)

[Mary Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-daly/)

[Explore all 54 Mary Daly quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-daly/)

## More Change quotes

> [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

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

> [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/)

[Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/)

> [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/)

[Phil Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hogan/)

> [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/)

[William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/)

> [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/)

[Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/)

> [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/)

[Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/)

> [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/)

[Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/)

> [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/)

[Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/)

> [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/)

[Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/)

> [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/)

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

> [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/)

[Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/)

> [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

[Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Tokenism does not change stereotypes of social systems but works to preserve them, since it dulls the revolutionary impulse.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mary Daly"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-daly/tokenism-does-not-change-stereotypes-of-social-systems-but-works-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Change"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-daly/tokenism-does-not-change-stereotypes-of-social-systems-but-works-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/179/mary-daly-12589_change_tokenism-does-not-change-stereotypes-of_432434.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/179/mary-daly-12589_change_tokenism-does-not-change-stereotypes-of_432434.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/179/mary-daly-12589_change_tokenism-does-not-change-stereotypes-of_432434.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Tokenism does not change stereotypes of social systems but works to preserve them, since it dulls the…” — Mary Daly",
                "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 Daly",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-daly/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Tokenism does not change stereotypes of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-daly/tokenism-does-not-change-stereotypes-of-social-systems-but-works-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-daly/tokenism-does-not-change-stereotypes-of-social-systems-but-works-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
