"Women serve but to keep a man from better company"

William Wycherley was a Restoration-era playwright known for his sharp wit and often controversial reflections on society, gender, and human nature. The assertion that “Women serve but to keep a man from better company” encapsulates a distinctly cynical view of gender dynamics and the role of women as seen through patriarchal lenses of 17th-century England. The phrase reduces women's social, intellectual, and emotional worth, suggesting their primary function is merely to prevent men from being alone or, perhaps, from the distraction of pursuits considered more valuable or entertaining.

This characterization sees women not as partners, equals, or individuals with intrinsic worth, but as distractions or necessary burdens. The word "serve" implies an expectation that women’s existence is chiefly for the benefit of men, reinforcing the notion of service over companionship or partnership. The mention of "better company" intensifies the disrespect, insinuating that male companionship or solitude is inherently superior to any interaction with women.

Wycherley, writing for sophisticated, often critical audiences, frequently used such provocations to expose and mock social conventions. His plays, filled with satire, often highlight the transactional nature of relationships and the gender biases prevalent in Restoration society. By putting such statements into the mouths of his characters, he invites audiences to reflect on, laugh at, or perhaps even condemn these attitudes.

On a deeper level, this sentiment reveals cultural anxieties around changing social structures, the rising visibility of women in public spheres, and the shifting definitions of marriage and sexuality in post-Puritan England. The spirit of the period allowed greater frankness and, sometimes, misogyny in literature, which Wycherley exploited for both humor and criticism.

Ultimately, the remark illustrates how prevailing attitudes could dehumanize women, relegating them to accessories in men’s lives. Yet, as with much Restoration comedy, the exaggeration could also serve as social critique, challenging the audience to reconsider such normalized denigrations of women’s roles.