"There is still the feeling that women's writing is a lesser class of writing, that what goes on in the nursery or the bedroom is not as important as what goes on in the battlefield, that what women know about is a less category of knowledge"

Erica Jong’s words highlight the persistent cultural bias that devalues women’s perspectives and contributions within literature and intellectual discourse. Central to her statement is the notion that traditionally masculine domains, such as war, politics, and public life, are given more weight and regarded as more serious or meaningful than traditionally feminine spheres, such as the home, relationships, or caregiving. The imagery of the “battlefield” versus the “nursery or the bedroom” is not just literal; it symbolically represents how society categorizes experiences. The battlefields, places of conflict and heroism, are often associated with narratives of historical significance, bravery, and national identity, which have typically been the central concerns of what is considered “great” literature written largely by men.

In contrast, the nursery and bedroom are intimate spaces related to childhood, caregiving, and sexuality, frequently the terrain of women both in life and in literature. Jong draws attention to the assumption that knowledge or stories arising from these spaces are inherently less valuable; they are seen as domestic, private, even trivial, and therefore unworthy of the same seriousness or critical attention as stories from the political or martial world. This perspective perpetuates a hierarchy in which masculine experiences are universalized, while feminine experiences are marginalized.

Such biases do not merely exclude women’s voices, but also shape the way stories by women are written, published, marketed, and understood. Women who write about family life, relationships, or interior emotional realities may find their work classified under “women’s fiction,” implicitly marked as lesser or niche compared to the gender-neutral (but implicitly male) canon. Jong’s insight challenges this categorization, urging a reconsideration of what constitutes significant knowledge and experience, and advocating respect for the full spectrum of human stories. Recognizing the richness and depth inherent in “what women know about” is essential in challenging literary and societal hierarchies that persist to this day.