The door might not be opened to a woman again for a long, long time, and I had a kind of duty to other women to walk in and sit down on the chair that was offered, and so establish the right of others long hence and far distant in geography to sit in the high seats.
Meaning of the quote
This quote is about how Frances Perkins, as one of the first women to hold a high government position, felt a responsibility to pave the way for other women to have the same opportunities. Even though the door might not have been open to women for a long time, she knew it was important to take the seat that was offered to her, so that future women could also sit in those important positions. By doing this, she was helping to establish the right for other women, even those far away, to have the same chance to lead and make decisions.
About Frances Perkins
Frances Perkins was a pioneering American worker’s rights advocate who served as the first woman in the U.S. presidential cabinet as Secretary of Labor under Franklin D. Roosevelt. She played a crucial role in developing the Social Security system and labor policies during the New Deal era and World War II.
More quotes from Frances Perkins
To one who believes that really good industrial conditions are the hope for a machine civilization, nothing is more heartening than to watch conference methods and education replacing police methods.
Workers-rights advocate and United States Secretary of Labor 1933-1945
Most of man’s problems upon this planet, in the long history of the race, have been met and solved either partially or as a whole by experiment based on common sense and carried out with courage.
Workers-rights advocate and United States Secretary of Labor 1933-1945
Being a woman has only bothered me in climbing trees.
Workers-rights advocate and United States Secretary of Labor 1933-1945
The door might not be opened to a woman again for a long, long time, and I had a kind of duty to other women to walk in and sit down on the chair that was offered, and so establish the right of others long hence and far distant in geography to sit in the high seats.
Workers-rights advocate and United States Secretary of Labor 1933-1945
The quality of his being one with the people, of having no artificial or natural barriers between him and them, made it possible for him to be a leader without ever being or thinking of being a dictator.
Workers-rights advocate and United States Secretary of Labor 1933-1945
In America, public opinion is the leader.
Workers-rights advocate and United States Secretary of Labor 1933-1945
But with the slow menace of a glacier, depression came on. No one had any measure of its progress; no one had any plan for stopping it. Everyone tried to get out of its way.
Workers-rights advocate and United States Secretary of Labor 1933-1945