“There never will be complete equality until women themselves help to make laws and elect law-makers.”
- Date
- 1897
- Local voice
- Authorial / signed preface voice · Susan B. Anthony
Meaning of “There never will be complete equality until women…”
Anthony argues that formal advances for women cannot become full equality while women remain excluded from directly choosing lawmakers and participating in lawmaking.
Where does it come from?
“The Status of Woman, Past, Present, and Future,” The Arena, May 1897, pp. 901–908; exact passage independently preserved in the complete Santa Rosa public-library transcription, PDF p. 5. Anthony says legal reforms will not produce complete equality until women help make laws and elect law-makers. The hyphenated “law-makers” wording is retained; this remains historical suffrage advocacy rather than current legal advice.
Why the local voice matters
The Status of Woman, Past, Present, and Future, The Arena, May 1897. Anthony argues that legal and civic equality requires women to participate directly in lawmaking and elections; this is historical suffrage advocacy.