--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Women were the slave class that…" description: "\"Women were the slave class that maintained the species in order to free the other half for the business of the world.\" — Shulamith Firestone" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d7/shulamith-firestone-12980_class_women-were-the-slave-class-that-maintain_1010798.jpg" --- # Women were the slave class that maintained the species in… ![“Women were the slave class that maintained the species in order to free the other half for the business of the world.” quote by Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d7/shulamith-firestone-12980_class_women-were-the-slave-class-that-maintain_1010798.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d7/shulamith-firestone-12980_class_women-were-the-slave-class-that-maintain_1010798.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d7/shulamith-firestone-12980_class_women-were-the-slave-class-that-maintain_1010798.jpg) > “Women were the slave class that maintained the species in order to free the other half for the business of the world.” [Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Women are portrayed as the labor force that sustains humanity, allowing men to dominate economic and political spheres. **In simple terms:** Women do the essential work that frees men for power. Key Takeaway Recognize women's contributions and challenge gendered labor divisions. Themes gender labor power equality feminism Mood critical thoughtful determined Type theoretical political activist When to use this quote - workplace policies - educational curricula - activism - policy reform Key Concepts social theory marxist feminism gender roles Questions to Reflect On - How can societies value all labor equally? - What alternatives exist to the binary labor model? A Different Perspective The statement may oversimplify complex gender dynamics and ignore men's oppression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Slave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [A remarkable documentary and the first in-depth record of many black women, slave and free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-b-porter/a-remarkable-documentary-and-the-first-in-depth-record-of-many-black/) Dorothy B. Porter > [“All the golden societies of the past to which historians point and turn their wistful smiles have had what patience-players would call a discard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/all-the-golden-societies-of-the-past-to-which-historians-point-and/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [“Possibly the greatest good requires the existence of a slave class.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/possibly-the-greatest-good-requires-the-existence-of-a-slave-class/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Women slave for their hair! It's all about how we compare ourselves to other women, how we size ourselves up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halle-berry/women-slave-for-their-hair-it-s-all-about-how-we-compare-ourselves-to/) [Halle Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halle-berry/) > [There is no slave out of heaven like a loving woman; and, of all loving women, there is no such slave as a mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/there-is-no-slave-out-of-heaven-like-a-loving-woman-and-of-all-loving/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [Society never progresses because the majority one day wakes up and says, “Let’s do things differently.” The majority didn’t wake up and say, “Oh,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/society-never-progresses-because-the-majority-one-day-wakes-up-and/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [I saw sensuality as sacred, indeed the only sacredness, I saw woman and her beauty as divine since her calling is the most important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leopold-von-sacher-masoch/i-saw-sensuality-as-sacred-indeed-the-only-sacredness-i-saw-woman-and/) [Leopold von Sacher-Masoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leopold-von-sacher-masoch/) > [Night is the other half of life, and the better half.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/night-is-the-other-half-of-life-and-the-better-half/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Giving is only one-half of the law of increase. Receiving is the other half. We can give and give but we may unbalance the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ponder/giving-is-only-one-half-of-the-law-of-increase-receiving-is-the-other/) [Catherine Ponder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ponder/) > [My aim is to institute perpetual adoration," spoke St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe, Franciscan priest and founder of the Knights of the Immaculata. For he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maximilian-kolbe/my-aim-is-to-institute-perpetual-adoration-spoke-st-maximilian-maria/) [Maximilian Kolbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maximilian-kolbe/) > [Half the world cries Half the world laughs Half the world tries To be the other half](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/half-the-world-cries-half-the-world-laughs-half-the-world-tries-to-be/) [Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/) > [I don't see much future for the Americans ... it's a decayed country. And they have their racial problem, and the problem of social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/i-don-t-see-much-future-for-the-americans-it-s-a-decayed-country-and/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [I want people to just be paying attention even if they're not necessarily laughing at something, or if it takes them a while to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-want-people-to-just-be-paying-attention-even-if-they-re-not/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [But if you will recall the history of our civil troubles, you will see half the nation bathe itself, out of piety, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/but-if-you-will-recall-the-history-of-our-civil-troubles-you-will-see/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [It is a sad fact that 50 percent of marriages in this country end in divorce. But hey, the other half end in death.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-jeni/it-is-a-sad-fact-that-50-percent-of-marriages-in-this-country-end-in/) [Richard Jeni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-jeni/) ## More by Shulamith Firestone > [ \[U\]nless oppressed groups stick together, and on alliances of self interest rather than do-goodism; nothing can be accomplished in the long run to dismantle… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/u-nless-oppressed-groups-stick-together-and-on-alliances-of-self/) [Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/) > [the myth of childhood happiness flourishes so wildly not because it satisfies the needs of children but because it satisfies the needs of adults.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/the-myth-of-childhood-happiness-flourishes-so-wildly-not-because-it/) [Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/) > [Emancipated' women found out that the honesty, generosity, and camaraderie of men was a lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/emancipated-women-found-out-that-the-honesty-generosity-and/) [Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/) > [“...childbirth is at best necessary and tolerable. It is not fun. (Like shitting a pumpkin, a friend of mine told me when I inquired…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/childbirth-is-at-best-necessary-and-tolerable-it-is-not-fun-like/) [Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/) > [the 'natural' is not necessarily a 'human' value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/the-natural-is-not-necessarily-a-human-value/) [Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/) > [We should keep in mind that Revolutions anywhere are always glad to use any help they can get, even from women. But unless women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/we-should-keep-in-mind-that-revolutions-anywhere-are-always-glad-to/) [Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/) > [“For the real issue under all the fights about other women is the man is unable to commit himself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/for-the-real-issue-under-all-the-fights-about-other-women-is-the-man/) [Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/) > [Men are thinking, writing, and creating, because women were pouring their energy into those men; women are not creating culture because they are occupied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/men-are-thinking-writing-and-creating-because-women-were-pouring/) [Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/) > [A fair and generous woman is (at best) respected, but seldom loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/a-fair-and-generous-woman-is-at-best-respected-but-seldom-loved/) [Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/) > [The personal is political.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/the-personal-is-political/) [Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/) > [All men are selfish, brutal and inconsiderate--and I wish I could find one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/all-men-are-selfish-brutal-and-inconsiderate-and-i-wish-i-could-find/) [Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/) > [“Believe me, if all wives whose husbands had affairs left them, we would only have divorced women in this country.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/believe-me-if-all-wives-whose-husbands-had-affairs-left-them-we-would/) [Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/) > [But in psychoanalysis there are no unimportant thoughts; there are only thoughts that pretend to be unimportant in order to not be told.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/but-in-psychoanalysis-there-are-no-unimportant-thoughts-there-are/) [Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/) > [Just as the end goal of socialist revolution was not only the elimination of the economic class privilege but of the economic class distinction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/just-as-the-end-goal-of-socialist-revolution-was-not-only-the/) [Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/) > [“It is only the failure of my plots I fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/it-is-only-the-failure-of-my-plots-i-fear/) [Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/) [Explore all 49 Shulamith Firestone quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/) ## More Class quotes > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [If I had to guess and put a name on it, I'd say that at some point, the drug war was as much a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/if-i-had-to-guess-and-put-a-name-on-it-i-d-say-that-at-some-point-the/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [I grew up in the middle class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-scaramucci/i-grew-up-in-the-middle-class/) [Anthony Scaramucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-scaramucci/) > [It must be assumed and established as a principle, that the right of private property must be regarded as sacred. Wherefore, the law ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/it-must-be-assumed-and-established-as-a-principle-that-the-right-of/) [Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [You’re crazy,” said her best friend, Angela, as the bell rang to signal five minutes before the first class on the first day back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/you-re-crazy-said-her-best-friend-angela-as-the-bell-rang-to-signal/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [“Poor people do not go on holiday; they go home.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/poor-people-do-not-go-on-holiday-they-go-home/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Because there are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself; another which appreciates what others comprehend; and a third which neither comprehends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/because-there-are-three-classes-of-intellects-one-which-comprehends/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [Right now, for many Americans, class is being foregrounded like never before because of the economic situation. It doesn't mean that race doesn't matter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/right-now-for-many-americans-class-is-being-foregrounded-like-never/) [Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [But I don't think the Democratic Party is at eye level with the middle class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-i-don-t-think-the-democratic-party-is-at-eye-level-with-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not a dancer. Never took a dance class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrishell-stause/i-m-not-a-dancer-never-took-a-dance-class/) [Chrishell Stause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrishell-stause/) > [Most startups are not just built for the person who is using them. When you do that, every now and then you get really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmett-shear/most-startups-are-not-just-built-for-the-person-who-is-using-them/) [Emmett Shear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmett-shear/) > [The structure of the Swiss ruling class is rock-hard, and unchanged since the time of Napoleon. They sit on their mountains and lecture the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-ziegler/the-structure-of-the-swiss-ruling-class-is-rock-hard-and-unchanged/) [Jean Ziegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-ziegler/) > [We are not going back to the failed policies of the past. We are fighting for the middle class!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/we-are-not-going-back-to-the-failed-policies-of-the-past-we-are/) [Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/) [Browse all 7,637 Class quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Women were the slave class that maintained the species in order to free the other half for the business of the world.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Shulamith Firestone" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/women-were-the-slave-class-that-maintained-the-species-in-order-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Class" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/women-were-the-slave-class-that-maintained-the-species-in-order-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d7/shulamith-firestone-12980_class_women-were-the-slave-class-that-maintain_1010798.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d7/shulamith-firestone-12980_class_women-were-the-slave-class-that-maintain_1010798.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d7/shulamith-firestone-12980_class_women-were-the-slave-class-that-maintain_1010798.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Women were the slave class that maintained the species in order to free the other half for the business of…” — Shulamith Firestone", "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": "Shulamith Firestone", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Women were the slave class that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/women-were-the-slave-class-that-maintained-the-species-in-order-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/women-were-the-slave-class-that-maintained-the-species-in-order-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 } } ] } ```