Quote Of The Day By Gloria Steinem: 'I Have Yet To Hear A Man Ask For...'

In the wake of her death at age 92, the world is mourning the loss of Gloria Steinem and there's very good reason for that: the legendary activist and journalist left an indelible mark on the world. Born in Ohio in March 1934, Steinem majored in government at Smith College and became a freelance journalist in the '60s. She began focusing her work on gender inequality at New York magazine as a founding editor. Steinem went on to create Ms., the feminist magazine, and began speaking publicly and campaigning for feminist issues. She quickly became known as a core figure of the movement.

As an activist, Steinem was the co-founder of many important platforms fighting for women's rights, including the Women's Action Alliance, Voters for Choice, the Women's Media Center, the Ms. Foundation for Women, and Take Our Daughters to Work Day. She went on to earn the Presidential Medal of Freedom from former President Barack Obama. Through decades of hard work and many a setback, Steinem never stopped fighting for progress. That's why one of her most poignant quotes about equality is today's quote of the day.

"I have yet to hear a man ask for advice on how to combine marriage and a career." Gloria Steinem's short, yet impactful quote was part of her commencement address to Tufts University graduates in 1984. It certainly puts societal expectations for men and women when getting married and pursuing a career into stark perspective. It's impossible to deny this imbalance remains today.

Gender inequality is so pervasive in our culture, it's easy to miss its many symptoms. Even as society has shifted toward more women working, the expectations for balance haven't evened out. If a woman works, she's also expected to handle the house, her marriage's health, and if applicable, childcare. Our culture places the burden of emotional labor on women and lifts it off men. 

Gloria Steinem grappled with balancing marriage and freedom in her personal life, as many women do. On Fresh Air in 2015, she recalled her abortion at age 22. "I just knew that if I went home and married, which I would've had to do, it would be to the wrong person; it would be to a life that wasn't mine..." Steinem explained. Leaving her job, retreating to her hometown, and depending on a man would've stripped her of her freedom and possibly her safety. And she fought for other women to have the right to avoid this like she did. Steinem lived to see progress in feminism. Yet, in her later years, some of that progress was undone. Our society stands on a foundation of inequality and arbitrary hierarchy. And as freedom is threatened in so many ways, we must work harder than ever to examine the things that are so embedded in the world view we've been sold that we often miss them. 

• "The first problem for all of us, men and women, is not to learn, but to unlearn."
• "Decisions are best made by the people affected by them."
• "We'll never solve the feminization of power until we solve the masculinity of wealth."
• "Women have two choices: Either she's a feminist or a masochist."
• "When humans are ranked instead of linked, everyone loses."