Is the saying; "behind every great man, stands a great woman", a way for women to take credit from men?

Question

Is the saying that women often use; "behind every great man, stands a great woman", a way for women to take credit for men's accomplishments?

How come when a woman achieves success, it's because she's an "independent" and "strong" woman that didn't need a man? How come men can't say "behind every great woman, stands a great man?"

Take Kimora Lee Simmons for example. She was a model making good money, but was still relatively unknown and didn't have the financial clout that she has today, until she married Russell Simmons. Russell Simmons is an music industry mogul with his own record company and TV shows, and has his own clothing line. Kimora was now given the opportunity to start her line "Baby Phat", a female offshoot of Russell's "Phat Farm". Her new increased popularity then spawned her talk show.

And yet, we're to assume that Russell Simmons had nothing to do with her success because he's a man and she's a woman? She's strong, independent, and did it all herself?

Answer 1

This expression was due because women throughout history were not allowed to do anything other than marry, make kids, raise kids or teach kids.  Thus behind every great man is a great woman since it was women who raised kids.

However today that is not so men and women raise their children together as much as possible unless individual situations have a single parent for whatever reason.

Now women work in as many fields as men gain their careers by themselves.

We are still paving the road but in time many of these old phrases will die out.

Don't generalize, look at individuals.  Just as many successful women could trace their success to their fathers as much as to their mothers and vice versa.

Answer 2

I never paid any attention to this quote anyway.  While it's true in many cases, it's not in many cases too.  It's kind of stupid in my opinion.

The scary thing is, Vanessa isn't someone who just formed this account to come on here and spout off her sexist, hateful comments (I've seen her comments on another question that are even worse).  She's level 5.

I think you're going overboard with the "boys have to suffer" comments though, although something does need to be said about boys in bad situations too, since people rarely talk about them, only girls.  Boys ARE left to fend for themselves much more than girls are.

Answer 3

I agree with you. It should also be a saying, that reads, "For every great women, a man made it possible." This is the part of provision (provider) that women don't see or ignore.

Answer 4

No one should take full credit for another person's victories.

I think, more  importantly, giving and recieving encouragement and support needs to stop being viewed in such a negative light.  I don't understand how supporting someone and helping to spur them on to success or receiving support has suddenly taken on such strong negative connotations.

The day I stop helping and encouraging someone I care for, or become too proud to accept support and share my spoils, is the day I will have lost my faith in humanity.

Answer 5

I don't see it that way at all. It see it as more as pushing women into the background. Many people seem to think it's perfectly fine for a woman to be ambitious as long as she isn't ambitious for herself and is acting as the supportive wife.

Answer 6

Hmmmm? I always thought that meant he had to get her out of the way, you know get past ,around and in front of her to accomplish greatness.

Maybe I misunderstood the expression ?

Answer 7

Go get married to a clingy, co-dependent, incompetent, insecure, jealous women and see first hand how marrying a "bad" women will pretty much ruin any chance you have of leading a successful life

Then you will realize that there is some truth to that statement, even though single men can probably succeed materially better then married men, good women or not

Answer 8

Are you girls reading this?  and the answers men give?  They are the most insecure animals on the planet.  We out number them, more of them go into prison and more are g*y.  The bottom line?

Girls stay in school and get and education and think about how you are going to support yourself.  Men view women as lesser beings.

Why do we need to take credit for men's accomplishments?  Like nuclear bombs?  Missiles?  More men go to war, that is something we want to imitate.  Look at the world ruled by men?  Wars, famine, disease, violence.  Who wants to take credit for that?

Answer 9

Actually, they generally say that to children who don't see the role that women play in shaping the world*.

Obviously there are those who take that lesson and twist it to their own agenda, not too dissimilar from what you have done with this question.

Use your own words, not other people's.

Until you do, you will never see the truth.

Answer 10

It's the along the thought...

a man cant be successful unless he has some little women taking care of him at home....always thought it was to make the homemakers feel better.

Answer 11

I always thought that was a joke. Like, when you're with your friends and the guys start bashing the girls.

If anything, I think the statement is just trying to make known the fact that women can also play a role in a man's success. Did you ever see My Big Fat Greek Wedding? When the mother said that although the man is the head of the house, the woman is the neck? Silly example, but it makes sense. Woman can influence men.  

Answer 12

Women are not taking anything away from men.  What that saying means, and this saying goes way back, even before the women started working out of the home.  It means that the man is great, due to her being supportive of his decisions.

Answer 13

Most men who achieve great things has a women who believes in him and makes his success possible.  With a women who spends all the money keeps the guy in hot water and runs around the man usually cannot achieve much.  Most great success stories are from men with a stable home life.

They do say that, Hilary Clinton could not achieve what she has without the support and backing of her husband and those are her words.  I think because of your hate for women you are failing to see that some relationships make great teams.

some marriages make the man rich, and some marriages make the women rich.  Who ever is willing to share the wealth and power.

Women who love their husbands do not ask for credit for his inventions.

Who ever heard about Benjamin Franklin's wife?  Or Thomas Jefferson?  What is the name of Alexander Graham Bell's wife?

Answer 14

No, darling, it's a way to give credit where credit is due.  As someone else pointed out, for the longest time, women were expected to be helpmeets, to do the support work, and were not allowed to be successful in their own right.  Many women still are in the position of helping their husbands.

Now, some say that Hillary Clinton wouldn't be where she was if  her husband hadn't been president.  But maybe he wouldn't have been president if not for her ambition and her support.

But women have largely been written out of history, such as Catherine Littlefield Greene, who invented the cotton gin before women were allowed to hold patents (which is why Eli Whitney gets the credit).  Evidently, the founding fathers of the U.S. ignored Abigail Adams' admonition to "remember the ladies."