---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All womanhood is hampered today because…"
description: "\"All womanhood is hampered today because the world on which it is emerging is a world that tries to worship both virgins and mothers and in the end desp..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04b/w-e-b-du-bois-2240_despise_all-womanhood-is-hampered-today-because_2849592.png"
---

#  All womanhood is hampered today because the world on which…

![“All womanhood is hampered today because the world on which it is emerging is a world that tries to worship both virgins and mothers and in the end despises motherhood and despoils virgins.” quote by W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04b/w-e-b-du-bois-2240_despise_all-womanhood-is-hampered-today-because_2849592.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04b/w-e-b-du-bois-2240_despise_all-womanhood-is-hampered-today-because_2849592.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04b/w-e-b-du-bois-2240_despise_all-womanhood-is-hampered-today-because_2849592.png)

> “All womanhood is hampered today because the world on which it is emerging is a world that tries to worship both virgins and mothers and in the end despises motherhood and despoils virgins.”

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

## About This Quote

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

Society devalues both virginity and motherhood, leaving women in a conflicted, oppressive position.

**In simple terms:** Women are caught between contradictory expectations.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and challenge harmful cultural narratives.

Themes

gender culture identity oppression

Mood

reflective critical

Type

analytical social commentary

When to use this quote

- education reform
- family policy
- media representation
- activism

Key Concepts

feminist theory social critique

Questions to Reflect On

- How do modern societies still enforce these binaries?
- What steps can empower women beyond these stereotypes?

A Different Perspective

The quote may overlook progress made toward gender equality.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Despise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despise/) [Despises Motherhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despises-motherhood-3783845/) [Emerging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emerging/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Motherhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motherhood/) [Motherhood Despoils](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motherhood-despoils-3783844/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Virgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virgins/) [Virgins Mothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virgins-mothers-3783846/) [Womanhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/womanhood/) [Womanhood Hampered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/womanhood-hampered-3783843/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Worship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worship/)

## Related quotes

> [I don't think my relationship with the idea of womanhood is that attached to giving birth... like, I'm fully aware that I'll never give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-harrison/i-don-t-think-my-relationship-with-the-idea-of-womanhood-is-that/)

[Patti Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-harrison/)

> [If we can't have comedy books written about aspects of womanhood without going into a panic attack about it, then we haven't got very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fielding/if-we-can-t-have-comedy-books-written-about-aspects-of-womanhood/)

[Helen Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fielding/)

> [I never felt fully attached to womanhood, and I don't feel fully attached to manhood. I've always felt in the middle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-r-fightmaster/i-never-felt-fully-attached-to-womanhood-and-i-don-t-feel-fully/)

[E. R. Fightmaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-r-fightmaster/)

> [A woman with a voice is by definition a strong woman. But the search to find that voice can be remarkably difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/a-woman-with-a-voice-is-by-definition-a-strong-woman-but-the-search/)

[Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/)

> [“Shouting about gender equality once a year doesn't end the patriarchal and misogynistic stereotypes. We must live every day as women's day, only then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/shouting-about-gender-equality-once-a-year-doesn-t-end-the/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [Because I have no actual sisters, it is my friends from Ames who’ve exposed me to every facet of womanhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-zaslow/because-i-have-no-actual-sisters-it-is-my-friends-from-ames-who-ve/)

[Jeffrey Zaslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-zaslow/)

> [“Women have a role to play in global development.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ifeanyi-enoch-onuoha/women-have-a-role-to-play-in-global-development/)

[Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ifeanyi-enoch-onuoha/)

> [“KINGDOM OF THE WOMB From her thighs, she gives you life And how you treat she who gives you life Shows how much you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/kingdom-of-the-womb-from-her-thighs-she-gives-you-life-and-how-you/)

[Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/)

> [“Ô, Wanderess, Wanderess When did you feel your most euphoric kiss? Was I the source of your greatest bliss?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/wanderess-wanderess-when-did-you-feel-your-most-euphoric-kiss-was-i/)

[Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/)

> [“The representation of women in the society, especially through mass media has been the most delusional act ever done on the grounds of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-representation-of-women-in-the-society-especially-through-mass/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [“I am the woman at the water’s edge, offering you oranges for the peeling, knife glistening in the sun. This is the scent and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shara-mccallum/i-am-the-woman-at-the-water-s-edge-offering-you-oranges-for-the/)

[Shara McCallum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shara-mccallum/)

> [But there is a beauty every girl has—a gift from God, as pure as the sunlight, and as sacred as life. It is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-o-mckay/but-there-is-a-beauty-every-girl-has-a-gift-from-god-as-pure-as-the/)

[David O. McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-o-mckay/)

> [I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel...the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-b-anthony/i-stand-and-rejoice-every-time-i-see-a-woman-ride-by-on-a-wheel-the/)

[Susan B. Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-b-anthony/)

> [“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/)

> [“She was bold, and yet she was reserved. She was sensual and girlish, but she was never coy. So I think that what she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-fees/she-was-bold-and-yet-she-was-reserved-she-was-sensual-and-girlish-but/)

[Paul Fees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-fees/)

## More by W. E. B. Du Bois

> [So often do you see collegians enter life with high resolve and lofty purpose and then watch them shrink and shrink to sordid, selfish,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/so-often-do-you-see-collegians-enter-life-with-high-resolve-and-lofty/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [As a race, the Negroes are not lazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/as-a-race-the-negroes-are-not-lazy/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [If there is anybody in this land who thoroughly believes that the meek shall inherit the earth they have not often let their presence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/if-there-is-anybody-in-this-land-who-thoroughly-believes-that-the/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [Men we shall have only as we make manhood the object of the work of the schools - intelligence, broad sympathy, knowledge of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/men-we-shall-have-only-as-we-make-manhood-the-object-of-the-work-of/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [Had it not been for the race problem early thrust upon me and enveloping me, I should have probably been an unquestioning worshipper at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/had-it-not-been-for-the-race-problem-early-thrust-upon-me-and/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [Before and after emancipation, the Negro, in self-defense, was propelled toward the white employer. The endowments of wealthy white men have developed great institutions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/before-and-after-emancipation-the-negro-in-self-defense-was-propelled/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [The use of slave women as day workers naturally broke up or made impossible the normal Negro home, and this and the slave code…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/the-use-of-slave-women-as-day-workers-naturally-broke-up-or-made/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [Before the Civil War, the Negro was certainly as efficient a workman as the raw immigrant from Ireland or Germany. But, whereas the Irishmen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/before-the-civil-war-the-negro-was-certainly-as-efficient-a-workman/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [All art is propaganda, and ever must be, despite the wailing of the purists. I stand in utter shamelessness and say that whatever art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/all-art-is-propaganda-and-ever-must-be-despite-the-wailing-of-the/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [The ruling of men is the effort to direct the individual actions of many persons toward some end. This end theoretically should be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/the-ruling-of-men-is-the-effort-to-direct-the-individual-actions-of/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [Education is that whole system of human training within and without the school house walls, which molds and develops men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/education-is-that-whole-system-of-human-training-within-and-without/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [As Negro voting increased, Congress got an improved sense of hearing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/as-negro-voting-increased-congress-got-an-improved-sense-of-hearing/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [From the day of its birth, the anomaly of slavery plagued a nation which asserted the equality of all men, and sought to derive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/from-the-day-of-its-birth-the-anomaly-of-slavery-plagued-a-nation/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [It is the stars, it is the ancient stars, it is the young and everlasting stars!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/it-is-the-stars-it-is-the-ancient-stars-it-is-the-young-and/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others, of measuring one's soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/it-is-a-peculiar-sensation-this-double-consciousness-this-sense-of/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

[Explore all 177 W. E. B. Du Bois quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

## More Despise quotes

> [My whole life has conspired to bring me to this place, and I can’t despise my whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/my-whole-life-has-conspired-to-bring-me-to-this-place-and-i-can-t/)

[Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/)

> [It may be important to great thinkers to examine the world, to explain and despise it. But I think it is only important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/it-may-be-important-to-great-thinkers-to-examine-the-world-to-explain/)

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

> [“You don’t know what it’s like to worry you’ll start to despise the people who help you, the ones you should love, because they’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-guzeman/you-don-t-know-what-it-s-like-to-worry-you-ll-start-to-despise-the/)

[Tracy Guzeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-guzeman/)

> [Never despise a drink because it is easy to make and/or uses commercial mixes. Unquestioning devotion to authenticity is, in any department of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/never-despise-a-drink-because-it-is-easy-to-make-and-or-uses/)

[Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/)

> [Everyone has conscience enough to hate; few have religion enough to love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/everyone-has-conscience-enough-to-hate-few-have-religion-enough-to/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [I agree that biphobia is real, but I think it's absolutely worth considering that someone who "despises" having sex with her husband - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallory-ortberg/i-agree-that-biphobia-is-real-but-i-think-it-s-absolutely-worth/)

[Mallory Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mallory-ortberg/)

> [If you want to know how to make people shun you and laugh at you behind your back and even despise you, here is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/if-you-want-to-know-how-to-make-people-shun-you-and-laugh-at-you/)

[Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/)

> [Russians not only vehemently despise blacks, they believe Africa begins at the Ukraine border.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/russians-not-only-vehemently-despise-blacks-they-believe-africa/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [I despise a person of little mind - one might as well not have any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-dunham-kelley-hawkins/i-despise-a-person-of-little-mind-one-might-as-well-not-have-any/)

[Emma Dunham Kelley-Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-dunham-kelley-hawkins/)

> [I despise computers in many ways. I think they’re hopelessly underevolved and overrated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/i-despise-computers-in-many-ways-i-think-they-re-hopelessly/)

[Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/)

> [With the single exception of Homer, there is no eminent writer, not even Sir Walter Scott, whom I can despise so entirely as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/with-the-single-exception-of-homer-there-is-no-eminent-writer-not/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [I despise the pleasure of pleasing people that I despise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wortley-montagu/i-despise-the-pleasure-of-pleasing-people-that-i-despise/)

[Mary Wortley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wortley-montagu/)

> [It was beautiful and rare, and you have every right to despise me." She stood pressed to the wall, not moving. "When you came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/it-was-beautiful-and-rare-and-you-have-every-right-to-despise-me-she/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [“I'm really starting to despise good -nights and good -byes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mi-juan-yu-tu/i-m-really-starting-to-despise-good-nights-and-good-byes/)

[Mi Juan Yu tu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mi-juan-yu-tu/)

> [But miserable most, to love unloved? This you should pity rather than despise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/but-miserable-most-to-love-unloved-this-you-should-pity-rather-than/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

[Browse all 918 Despise quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despise/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "All womanhood is hampered today because the world on which it is emerging is a world that tries to worship both virgins and mothers and in the end despises motherhood and despoils virgins.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "W. E. B. Du Bois"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/all-womanhood-is-hampered-today-because-the-world-on-which-it-is/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Despise"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/all-womanhood-is-hampered-today-because-the-world-on-which-it-is/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04b/w-e-b-du-bois-2240_despise_all-womanhood-is-hampered-today-because_2849592.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04b/w-e-b-du-bois-2240_despise_all-womanhood-is-hampered-today-because_2849592.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04b/w-e-b-du-bois-2240_despise_all-womanhood-is-hampered-today-because_2849592.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“All womanhood is hampered today because the world on which it is emerging is a world that tries to worship…” — W. E. B. Du Bois",
                "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": "W. E. B. Du Bois",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "All womanhood is hampered today because...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/all-womanhood-is-hampered-today-because-the-world-on-which-it-is/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/all-womanhood-is-hampered-today-because-the-world-on-which-it-is/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
