---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Modern women are squeezed between the…"
description: "\"Modern women are squeezed between the devil and the deep blue sea, and there are no lifeboats out there in the form of public policies designed to help..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d77/sylvia-ann-hewlett-26752_blue_modern-women-are-squeezed-between-the-de_2615619.jpg"
---

#  Modern women are squeezed between the devil and the deep…

![“Modern women are squeezed between the devil and the deep blue sea, and there are no lifeboats out there in the form of public policies designed to help these women combine their roles as mothers and as workers.” quote by Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d77/sylvia-ann-hewlett-26752_blue_modern-women-are-squeezed-between-the-de_2615619.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d77/sylvia-ann-hewlett-26752_blue_modern-women-are-squeezed-between-the-de_2615619.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d77/sylvia-ann-hewlett-26752_blue_modern-women-are-squeezed-between-the-de_2615619.jpg)

> “Modern women are squeezed between the devil and the deep blue sea, and there are no lifeboats out there in the form of public policies designed to help these women combine their roles as mothers and as workers.”

[Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/)

## 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 conflicting expectations at home and work, with little policy support to balance both roles.

**In simple terms:** Women lack policies to balance work and family.

Key Takeaway

Advocate for stronger family‑friendly policies.

Themes

gender equity work‑life balance public policy motherhood career

Mood

frustrated determined

Type

analytical advocational

When to use this quote

- parental leave negotiations
- career planning
- advocacy campaigns
- legislative lobbying

Key Concepts

social expectations policy gaps economic pressure

Questions to Reflect On

- How can organizations bridge the policy gap now?
- What personal strategies help manage dual roles?

A Different Perspective

Policies often lag behind cultural change, limiting immediate impact.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Blue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blue/) [Blue sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blue-sea/) [Deep blue sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep-blue-sea-44012/) [Devil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devil/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Help Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help-women-418842/) [Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) [Lifeboats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifeboats/) [Modern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern/) [Modern woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-woman/) [Modern Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-women-589520/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Mothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mothers/) [Mothers Workers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mothers-workers-2066054/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/policy/) [Public policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-policy/) [Roles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roles/) [Roles Mothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roles-mothers-1449045/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) [Workers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/workers/)

## Related quotes

> [The new Ann Taylor is for modern women who want to take on the world in style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-moore/the-new-ann-taylor-is-for-modern-women-who-want-to-take-on-the-world/)

[Demi Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-moore/)

> [Modern women like to think we invented the idea of balancing work and family but women have always done it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-wright/modern-women-like-to-think-we-invented-the-idea-of-balancing-work-and/)

[Clare Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-wright/)

> [The uselessness and expensiveness of modern women multiply bachelors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/the-uselessness-and-expensiveness-of-modern-women-multiply-bachelors/)

[Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/)

> [Modern women are just bombarded. There's nothing but media telling us we're all supposed to be great cooks, have great style, be great in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-lee-curtis/modern-women-are-just-bombarded-there-s-nothing-but-media-telling-us/)

[Jamie Lee Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-lee-curtis/)

> [Modern women ... they don't sew your pockets ... forget that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/modern-women-they-don-t-sew-your-pockets-forget-that/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“The mass depiction of the modern woman as a "beauty" is a contradiction: Where modern women are growing, moving, and expressing their individuality, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/the-mass-depiction-of-the-modern-woman-as-a-beauty-is-a-contradiction/)

[Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/)

> [My first mother's role was in 'Aradhana.' But after that in mid to late 1980s, I was being offered more roles of mothers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharmila-tagore/my-first-mother-s-role-was-in-aradhana-but-after-that-in-mid-to-late/)

[Sharmila Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharmila-tagore/)

> [“Most of us are very sensitive about our roles as mothers. If the misogynist feels his partner is betraying him for the sake of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-forward/most-of-us-are-very-sensitive-about-our-roles-as-mothers-if-the/)

[Susan Forward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-forward/)

> [Women gain social influence through their roles as mothers, transmitters of culture, and parents for the next generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-hill-collins/women-gain-social-influence-through-their-roles-as-mothers/)

[Patricia Hill Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-hill-collins/)

> [“There are marvelous sea creatures whose existences can be viewed only within the deep blue sea, and similarly we all have dear secrets that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-katehakis/there-are-marvelous-sea-creatures-whose-existences-can-be-viewed-only/)

[Alexandra Katehakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-katehakis/)

> [If Ford is to Chevrolet what Dodge is to Chrysler, what Corn Flakes are to Post Toasties, what the clear blue sky is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyle-lovett/if-ford-is-to-chevrolet-what-dodge-is-to-chrysler-what-corn-flakes/)

[Lyle Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyle-lovett/)

> [Joy to the world All the boys and girls now Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea Joy to you and me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hoyt-axton/joy-to-the-world-all-the-boys-and-girls-now-joy-to-the-fishes-in-the/)

[Hoyt Axton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hoyt-axton/)

> [Man marks the earth with ruin - his control stops with the shore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/man-marks-the-earth-with-ruin-his-control-stops-with-the-shore/)

[Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/)

> [Between my potential and the deep blue sea, There's a rock and a diamond either side of me. Between our potential and the break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gorka/between-my-potential-and-the-deep-blue-sea-there-s-a-rock-and-a/)

[John Gorka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gorka/)

> [..the sweet love between the moon and the deep blue sea...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimi-hendrix/the-sweet-love-between-the-moon-and-the-deep-blue-sea/)

[Jimi Hendrix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimi-hendrix/)

## More by Sylvia Ann Hewlett

> [For women the wage gap sets up an infuriating Catch-22 situation. They do the housework because they earn less, and they earn lessbecause they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/for-women-the-wage-gap-sets-up-an-infuriating-catch-22-situation-they/)

[Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/)

> [ Fashions change, and with the new psychoanalytical perspective of the postwar period \[WWII\], child rearing became enshrined as thespecial responsibility of mothersany shortcoming in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/fashions-change-and-with-the-new-psychoanalytical-perspective-of-the/)

[Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/)

> [The decision to have a child is both a private and a public decision, for children are our collective future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/the-decision-to-have-a-child-is-both-a-private-and-a-public-decision/)

[Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/)

> [“Star performers are very likely to attract sponsors, and loyal performers are very likely to keep them. But if they fail to distinguish themselves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/star-performers-are-very-likely-to-attract-sponsors-and-loyal/)

[Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/)

> [“Sponsorship, done right, is transactional. It’s an implicit or even explicit strategic alliance, a long-range quid pro quo.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/sponsorship-done-right-is-transactional-it-s-an-implicit-or-even/)

[Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/)

> [“It is executive presence—and no man or woman attains a top job, lands an extraordinary deal, or develops a significant following without this heady…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/it-is-executive-presence-and-no-man-or-woman-attains-a-top-job-lands/)

[Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/)

> [“Do your job well, make sure your boss is fully informed, and don’t be afraid to ask for help,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/do-your-job-well-make-sure-your-boss-is-fully-informed-and-don-t-be/)

[Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/)

> [Recently we've been hearing a lot about women "having it all." Myself, I think that is not really an accurate description of female lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/recently-we-ve-been-hearing-a-lot-about-women-having-it-all-myself-i/)

[Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/)

> [There are six elements of gravitas critical to leadership: grace under fire, decisiveness, emotional intelligence and the ability to read a room, integrity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/there-are-six-elements-of-gravitas-critical-to-leadership-grace-under/)

[Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/)

> [“how you act (gravitas), how you speak (communication), and how you look (appearance) count for a lot in determining your leadership presence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/how-you-act-gravitas-how-you-speak-communication-and-how-you-look/)

[Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/)

> [The feedback women are getting at work is amazingly ineffective or vague. You need to signal to your boss or senior colleagues that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/the-feedback-women-are-getting-at-work-is-amazingly-ineffective-or/)

[Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/)

> [Women have made enormous progress on the lower and middle rungs of the career ladder, but we are failing to make the leap into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/women-have-made-enormous-progress-on-the-lower-and-middle-rungs-of/)

[Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/)

> [Quite simply, promotions are not just functions of ability, values, or the numbers you hit, but also rest critically on how you are perceived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/quite-simply-promotions-are-not-just-functions-of-ability-values-or/)

[Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/)

> [“classic female mistake. I thought that it was all about doing my job extraordinarily well. If I put my head down and worked as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/classic-female-mistake-i-thought-that-it-was-all-about-doing-my-job/)

[Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/)

> [American feminists have generally stressed the ways in which men and women should be equal and have therefore tried to put aside differences… Social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/american-feminists-have-generally-stressed-the-ways-in-which-men-and/)

[Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/)

[Explore all 21 Sylvia Ann Hewlett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/)

## More Blue quotes

> [When I haven't any blue I use red.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/when-i-haven-t-any-blue-i-use-red/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

> [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [If you're white and you're wrong, then you're wrong; if you're black and you're wrong, you're wrong. People are people. Black, blue, pink, green…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-marley/if-you-re-white-and-you-re-wrong-then-you-re-wrong-if-you-re-black/)

[Bob Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-marley/)

> [Memory revises me. Even now a letter comes from a place I don’t know, from someone with my name and postmarked years ago, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/memory-revises-me-even-now-a-letter-comes-from-a-place-i-don-t-know/)

[Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/)

> [Human beings should stick together. Honestly, if I see a red-haired person with blue eyes now, I say, 'Is your granny black?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-jones/human-beings-should-stick-together-honestly-if-i-see-a-red-haired/)

[Grace Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-jones/)

> [The Louvre! The Louvre has me in its clutches. Every time I'm there rich blessings rain down upon me. I am coming to understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-modersohn-becker/the-louvre-the-louvre-has-me-in-its-clutches-every-time-i-m-there/)

[Paula Modersohn-Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-modersohn-becker/)

> [We live in a state with a wonderful climate and plenty of natural beauty, from the shores of Cumberland Island to the Chattahoochee River…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-barnes/we-live-in-a-state-with-a-wonderful-climate-and-plenty-of-natural/)

[Roy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-barnes/)

> [I had never done anything with blue screen before, or prosthetics, or anything like that. Lord of the Rings was like stepping into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-had-never-done-anything-with-blue-screen-before-or-prosthetics-or/)

[Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/)

> [UN peacekeeping operations are now increasingly complex and multi-dimensional, going beyond monitoring a ceasefire to actually bringing failed States back to life, often after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/un-peacekeeping-operations-are-now-increasingly-complex-and-multi/)

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

> [Mother, she likes the blue material just fine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-white/mother-she-likes-the-blue-material-just-fine/)

[Ron White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-white/)

> [You know, I'm the only one in this family who has no problems, . . . And you know why? Because any time I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-know-i-m-the-only-one-in-this-family-who-has-no-problems-and-you/)

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

> [it'll be this kind of deep blue”she said. “The kind of color that somehow sucks your eyes and your ears and all your words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banana-yoshimoto/it-ll-be-this-kind-of-deep-blue-she-said-the-kind-of-color-that/)

[Banana Yoshimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banana-yoshimoto/)

> [It is moonlight. Alone in the silence I ascend my stairs once more, While waves remote in pale blue starlight Crash on a white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-aiken/it-is-moonlight-alone-in-the-silence-i-ascend-my-stairs-once-more/)

[Conrad Aiken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conrad-aiken/)

> [The grape Hyacinth is the favorite spring flower of my garden - but no! I though a minute ago the Scilla was! and what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-morse-earle/the-grape-hyacinth-is-the-favorite-spring-flower-of-my-garden-but-no/)

[Alice Morse Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-morse-earle/)

> [I swam with my first shark in the 1980s. I was 20 miles off the coast of Rhode Island, working with a group of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-skerry/i-swam-with-my-first-shark-in-the-1980s-i-was-20-miles-off-the-coast/)

[Brian Skerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-skerry/)

[Browse all 3,452 Blue quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blue/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Modern women are squeezed between the devil and the deep blue sea, and there are no lifeboats out there in the form of public policies designed to help these women combine their roles as mothers and as workers.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sylvia Ann Hewlett"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/modern-women-are-squeezed-between-the-devil-and-the-deep-blue-sea-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Blue"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/modern-women-are-squeezed-between-the-devil-and-the-deep-blue-sea-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d77/sylvia-ann-hewlett-26752_blue_modern-women-are-squeezed-between-the-de_2615619.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d77/sylvia-ann-hewlett-26752_blue_modern-women-are-squeezed-between-the-de_2615619.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d77/sylvia-ann-hewlett-26752_blue_modern-women-are-squeezed-between-the-de_2615619.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Modern women are squeezed between the devil and the deep blue sea, and there are no lifeboats out there in…” — Sylvia Ann Hewlett",
                "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": "Sylvia Ann Hewlett",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Modern women are squeezed between the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/modern-women-are-squeezed-between-the-devil-and-the-deep-blue-sea-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/modern-women-are-squeezed-between-the-devil-and-the-deep-blue-sea-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
