Jan Fable, MS, LADC
Fairfield Connecticut
203.255.5055

Short-term Counseling for Individuals and Couples;
12 Step Recovery Support and Intervention Services;
and Career Coaching

The Women's Page

In case you ever wonder why we women struggle to have healthy self-esteem, below
is a small sampling of what famous men have said about women throughout history


"One hundred women are not worth a single testicle." Confucius (551-479 BCE)


"The five worst infirmities that afflict the female are indocility, discontent, slander, jealousy, and silliness... Such is the stupidity of woman's character, that it is incumbent upon her, in every particular, to distrust herself and to obey her husband." The Confucian Marriage Manual


"A proper wife should be as obedient as a slave." and "The female is a female by virtue of a certain lack of qualities - a natural defectiveness." Aristotle (384-322 BCE)


"In childhood a woman must be subject to her father; in youth to her husband; when her husband is dead, to her sons. A woman must never be free of subjugation." The Hindu Code of Manu (c. 100 CE)


"Among all savage beasts, none is found so harmful as woman." St. John Chrysostom (345-407 CE)


"Men are superior to women." The Koran (c. 650)


"Any woman who acts in such a way that she cannot give birth to as many children as she is capable of, makes herself guilty of that many murders." St. Augustine (354-430 CE)


"Do you know that each of your women is an Eve? The sentence of God - on this sex of yours - lives in this age; the guilt must necessarily live, too. You are the gate of Hell, you are the temptress of the forbidden tree; you are the first deserter of the divine law." Tertullian in 22 CE


"Woman in her greatest perfection was made to serve and obey man, not rule and command him." John Knox (1505-1572)


"The souls of women are so small that some believe they've none at all." Samuel Butler (1612-1680)


"What a misfortune to be a woman! And yet, the worst misfortune is not to understand what a misfortune it is". Kierkegaard (1813-1855)


"It seems to me that nearly every woman I know wants a man who knows how to love with authority. Women are simple souls who like simple things, and one of the simplest is one of the simplest to give... Our family Airedale will come clear across the yard for one pat on the head. The average wife is like that. She will come across town, across the house, across to your point of view, and across almost anything to give you her love if you offer her yours with some honest approval." Episcopal Bishop James Pike in a letter to his son (1968)


"Let us set our women folk on the road to goodness by teaching them to display submissiveness." "Every woman should be overwhelmed with shame at the thought that she is a woman." St. Clement of Alexandria in 96 CE


In the year 584 CE, in Lyons, France, forty-three Catholic bishops and twenty men representing other bishops, held a most peculiar debate: "Are Women Human?" After many lengthy arguments, a vote was taken. The results were: thirty-two, yes; thirty-one, no. Women were declared human by one vote! Council of Macon


"Blessed art thou, O Lord our God and King of the Universe, that thou didst not create me a woman." Daily prayer, still in use, of the orthodox Jewish male

"If the tokens of virginity are not found in the young woman, then they shall bring her out of her father's house and the men of the city shall stone her to death with stones because she has wrought folly...so you shall purge the evil from the midst of you." Deuteronomy 22:20-21


"Woman should remain at home, sit still, keep house, and bear and bring up children." and "If a woman grows weary and, at last, dies from child bearing, it matters not. Let her die from bearing; she is there to do it." Martin Luther (1483-1546)

With thanks to Meg Bowman, a San Jose, California sociologist, who has created many theatrical productions for
feminists and humanist groups. The quotations above are from one of her productions called, Why We Burn: Sexism Exorcised.





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If you have suggestions for links to sites of particular interest to women, please send them,
along with their URL's to JFable at forhealing.org. Thank you.

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JanFable has worked as a psychotherapist for more than 25 years. She has a master's degree in counseling and is a Connecticut licensed drug and alcohol counselor. Her primary training is in Bioenergetic Analysis which deals with the whole person. She has extensive training in the treatment of dissociative disorders and trauma survivors and in using of altered states of consciousness in healing. She has also completed Level I and Level II training in Thought Field Therapy.

Jan's training and experience expanded.

Jan Fable
203.255-5055
Fairfield, Connecticut

If you want to contact me, you can email me at JFable at forhealing.org
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