"Just as the slave master required the slaves to imitate the image he had of them, so women, who live in a relatively powerless position, politically and economically, feel obliged by a kind of implicit force to live up to culture's image of what is female"

This quote by Susan Griffin speaks with the power characteristics in between men and women in society. She is recommending that females are expected to live up to a certain picture of what is thought about to be female, much like how slaves were anticipated to mimic the image their slave masters had of them. This expectation is enforced by an implicit force, which is a result of women's reasonably helpless position in society, both politically and financially. This quote highlights the need for ladies to be viewed as equal to men in order to be able to measure up to their own picture of what is female, instead of the one enforced by society. It is a tip that ladies should be given the same opportunities and regard as males in order to be able to live up to their own potential.