"And the first commandment of feminism is: I am woman; thou shalt not tolerate strange gods who assert that women have capabilities or often choose roles that are different from men's"
About this Quote
Schlafly doesn’t argue against feminism so much as she caricatures it into a rival religion, complete with “commandments” and “strange gods.” The move is strategic: if feminism is theology, it’s not a political program you can debate or amend, it’s a dogma you can reject on moral grounds. By borrowing the cadence of the Ten Commandments, she smuggles in an old American suspicion that activists are really zealots in better packaging.
The subtext is a neat inversion. Feminism is framed as the force demanding sameness, policing any recognition of difference as heresy. That’s why the phrasing “capabilities” and “choose roles” matters: Schlafly collapses two distinct ideas - biological aptitude and social preference - into one forbidden claim, as if acknowledging difference automatically means enforcing hierarchy. It’s a rhetorical shortcut that preempts nuance and casts feminists as intolerant gatekeepers rather than critics of unequal constraints.
Context sharpens the intent. Schlafly rose to national prominence opposing the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s, mobilizing conservative women through a paradox: presenting domesticity as both freely chosen and politically endangered. This quote keeps that coalition intact by offering a flattering role. You’re not resisting change out of fear; you’re defending pluralism, tradition, and common sense against an elite ideology that won’t let you be “different.”
The irony is that the charge of intolerance functions as its own kind of discipline: it warns women that certain aspirations are “strange gods,” while calling that warning freedom.
The subtext is a neat inversion. Feminism is framed as the force demanding sameness, policing any recognition of difference as heresy. That’s why the phrasing “capabilities” and “choose roles” matters: Schlafly collapses two distinct ideas - biological aptitude and social preference - into one forbidden claim, as if acknowledging difference automatically means enforcing hierarchy. It’s a rhetorical shortcut that preempts nuance and casts feminists as intolerant gatekeepers rather than critics of unequal constraints.
Context sharpens the intent. Schlafly rose to national prominence opposing the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s, mobilizing conservative women through a paradox: presenting domesticity as both freely chosen and politically endangered. This quote keeps that coalition intact by offering a flattering role. You’re not resisting change out of fear; you’re defending pluralism, tradition, and common sense against an elite ideology that won’t let you be “different.”
The irony is that the charge of intolerance functions as its own kind of discipline: it warns women that certain aspirations are “strange gods,” while calling that warning freedom.
Quote Details
| Topic | Equality |
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