50 Gender Quotes About Men and Women Being Equally Important

By Stephanie Kirby

Writer, Entrepreneur and Inspirational quote curator

Published July 23, 2023

Check out these gender quotes that highlight the importance of both women and men.

Gender has long been discussed regarding their roles, values, and responsibilities.

As time passes, the roles and responsibilities may have shifted, but they have nothing to do with the value of each gender.

Women are just as important as men and vice versa.

Instead of genders competing for the top spot, it is time that we recognize the value of both genders and appreciate each other.

Pay should not be based on gender; it should be based on the job.

Opportunities shouldn’t be based on gender; they should be equal to both genders.

In fact, according to vic.gov.au, “societies that value women and men as equal are safer and healthier.”

Take a look at these gender quotes to see some of the value of both genders.

Top Gender Quotes Highlighting the Importance of Equality

Gender equality and embracing the importance of both men and women is important for the success of society.

1. “Hospitality knows no gender or race.” — Danny Meyer

2. “Gender equality is not only an issue for women and girls.” — Justin Trudeau

3. “Men and women have strengths that complement each other.” — Edwin Louis Cole

4. “There is no longer a doubt that women are just as competent as men.” — Naveen Jain

5. “I do not wish them to have power over men; but over themselves.” — Mary Wollstonecraft

6. “To call woman the weaker sex is a libel; it is man’s injustice to woman.” — Mahatma Gandhi

7. “If women are expected to do the same work as men, we must teach them the same things.” — Plato

8. “How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes.” — Maya Angelou

9. “Any serious shift towards more sustainable societies has to include gender equality.” — Helen Clark

10. “Every woman who proves that it is not about gender but about excellence paves the way.” — Belinda Johnson

Gender Quotes About the Importance of Men and Masculinity

Men are too often overlooked in the gender conversation today, although they play an important role in society.

11. “A man’s got to have a code, a creed to live by, no matter his job.” — John Wayne

12. “Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.” — Marcus Aurelius

13. “Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” — Albert Einstein

14. “There never was yet a truly great man that was not at the same time truly virtuous.” — Benjamin Franklin

15. “There is nothing noble being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” — Winston Churchill

16. “Stand true to your calling to be a man. Real women will always be relieved and grateful when men are willing to be men.” — Elisabeth Elliot

17. “Because there is very little honor left in American life, there is a certain built-in tendency to destroy masculinity in American men.” — Norman Mailer

18. “The way of a superior man is three-fold: virtuous, he is free from anxieties; wise, he is free from perplexities; bold, he is free from fear.” — Confucius

19. “Men want a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue. That is what is written in their hearts. That is what little boys play at. That is what men’s movies are about. You just see it. It is undeniable.” — John Eldredge

20. “A man is one whose body has been trained to be the ready servant of his mind; whose passions are trained to be the servants of his will; who enjoys the beautiful, loves truth, hates wrong, loves to do good, and respects others as himself.” — John Ruskin

Gender Quotes About the Strength of Women and Femininity

The push for equality mustn’t extinguish the importance and beauty of femininity and the fact that women have their own strength and don’t need to be like men.

21. “We must keep both our femininity and our strength.” — Indra Devi

22. “I’ve always been independent, and I don’t see how it conflicts with femininity.” — Sylvia Porter

23. “My femininity is always something I’ve tried to preserve in this dog-eat-dog world.” — Margaret Smith

24. “You can be an absolute woman and also be smart and tough and not lose your femininity.” — Priyanka Chopra

25. “I don’t believe that a female character needs to surrender her femininity in order to be an action hero.” — Colin Trevorrow

26. “The world needs strong women. Women who will lift and build others, who will love and be loved, women who live bravely, both tender and fierce, women of indomitable will.” — Amy Tenney

27. “Authentic femininity is a combination of class, tenderness, and virtue. When a woman possesses these traits, a man will naturally want to be more of a gentleman around her.” — Jason Evert

28. “Simple femininity is the most important thing about a woman, and it is a quality a great many women are in jeopardy of losing. Women are being emancipated out of their femininity in this modern age.” — Yul Brynner

29. “A woman is a warrior, too. But she is meant to be a warrior in a uniquely feminine way. Sometime before the sorrows of life did their best to kill it in us, most young women wanted to be part of something grand, something important.” — Stasi Eldredge

30. “I don’t know why femininity should be associated with weakness. Women should be free to express who they are without thinking, ‘I need to act like a man, or I need to tone it down to be successful.’ That’s a very good way to keep women down.” — Zooey Deschanel

Gender Quotes Striving for Freedom and Equality

The fight for equality of men and women worldwide is an issue that applies to everyone.

31. “Every life—regardless of background or gender—has equal value.” — Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber

32. “Hopefully, in the future, generational challenges will be measured by achievement, not gender.” — Safra A. Catz

33. “There is a plan and a purpose, a value to every life, no matter what its location, age, gender or disability.” — Sharron Angle

34. “Freedom cannot be achieved unless women have been emancipated from all kinds of oppression.” — Nelson Mandela

35. “A world full of empowered women isn’t one where men are marginalized. It’s a world where everyone thrives.” — Purnima Mane

36. “Achieving gender equality requires the engagement of women and men, girls and boys. It is everyone’s responsibility.” — Ban Ki-moon

37. “True equality means holding everyone accountable in the same way, regardless of race, gender, faith, ethnicity—or political ideology.” — Monica Crowley

38. “Gender equality has a transformative effect that is essential to fully functioning communities, societies, and economies.” — Antonio Guterres

39. “I raise my voice not so I can shout but so that those without a voice can be heard. We cannot succeed when half of us are held back.” — Malala Yousafzai

40. “I believe in equal pay for equal work. Gender, race, skin color, or ethnicity should not be the parameters to hire someone or to decide how much they should be paid.” — Huma Qureshi

More Equality of Gender Quotes

For men and women to see their value in themselves and each other is of utmost importance in working to provide equal treatment for all.

41. “I want the men of our nation to stand and take a stand against gender-based violence.” — Zozibini Tunzi

42. “Calling gender violence a women’s issue is part of the problem. It gives a lot of men an excuse not to pay attention.” — Jackson Katz

43. “I never, ever grew up as a young woman believing that my gender would stand in the way of doing anything I wanted.” — Jacinda Ardern

44. “We pledge ourselves to liberate all our people from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender, and other discrimination.” — Nelson Mandela

45. “The only fight worth fighting is to give all children equal opportunities regardless of race or gender, to judge individuals on their qualities and not their backgrounds.” — John Barnes

46. “Equality is not just the right thing to do. It’s smart economics. How can an economy achieve full potential if it ignores, sidelines, or fails to invest in half its population.” — Robert Zoellick

47. “Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development, and building good governance.” — Kofi Annan

48. “With the adoption of the Declaration of the Elimination of Violence against Women, the international community sent out a clear message that gender-based violence will not be tolerated.” — Jenny Shipley

49. “Every country faces its own obstacles to reaching gender equality, and to make a real difference, we must change public policies in tandem with stereotypes, attitudes, and behaviors.” — Jose Angel Gurria

50. “If a woman is successful, then she’s deemed to be the exception that proves the rule. If a woman fails, well, we’re all failures. That kind of underlying approach to our gender doesn’t seem to me to have changed an iota.” — Glenda Jackson