Everything that explains the world has in fact explained a world that does not exist, a world in which men are at the center of the human enterprise and women are at the margin "helping' them. Such a world does not exist - never has.
Interpretation
The quote critiques the historical narrative that centers men while relegating women to a marginal role, asserting that this skewed perspective misrepresents reality.
Gerda Lerner's quote challenges the traditional narratives that have historically depicted men as the primary actors in the human story, while portraying women as peripheral figures. She argues that this outlook not only distorts the true fabric of society but also ignores the significant contributions women have made throughout history. By emphasizing that a world where women are merely 'helpers' to men never truly existed, Lerner calls for a re-evaluation of historical accounts to include the full participation and influence of women.
In practice
In a discussion about gender roles in history, this quote can emphasize the need for a broader representation of women's contributions.
Men develop ideas and systems of explanation by absorbing past knowledge and critiquing and superseding it. Women, ignorant of their own history [do] not know what women before them had thought and taught. So generation after generation, they [struggle] for insights others had already had before them, [resulting in] the constant inventing of the wheel.
When I started working on women's history about thirty years ago, the field did not exist. People didn't think that women had a history worth knowing.
Men cannot count, they do not know that two and two make four if women do not tell them so.
Rich cultures, patriarchal cultures, value thin women, like ours; poor ones value fat women. But all patriarchal cultures value weak women. So for women to become physically strong is very profound.
One of the things we learn in movies directed by men is what the 'fantasy woman' is. What we learn in movies directed by women is what real women are about. I don't think that men see things wrong and women right, just that we do see things differently.
All too often, girls are ignored because their challenges aren't thought to be as serious as those faced by boys.
Woman" in the abstract is young, and, we assume, charming. As they get older they pass off the stage, somehow, into private ownership mostly, or out of it altogether.
Girls are taught to view their bodies as unending projects to work on, whereas boys from a young age, are taught to view their bodies as tools to master their environment
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