Would you like to attribute something that a person has achieved to a woman who gave them the strength or the motivation to do it? The phrase 'behind every man is a great woman' is a common saying that can be used in English, and it's not always used as a sentence with gender undertones. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this saying.
Meaning
The phrase 'behind every great man is a great woman' is a common figurative expression that can be used to mean someone's individual achievement can be credited to the help they had from a third-party.
The expression 'behind every great man is a great woman' is most often used as a whole phrase. The phrase can also sometimes be shortened to 'behind every great man' with the most common meaning of the phrase assumed to be known.
The phrase is common in male dominated industries, and points out that women often achieve uncredited accomplishments alongside men, or that their support can be responsible for someone's achievement.
While the phrase sounds close to an insult, saying that 'behind every great man' is meant as a generally positive phrase that credits someone in a supportive role.
The woman in question can be a colleague or partner who offered their support to make achievement possible in the first place.
The phrase 'behind every man is a great woman' is almost never used in the plural form because it is not linguistically necessary to do so for a valid phrase.
Example Usage
“My father thought that he was the best thing at the office, but when he got that award he forgot one thing: behind every great man. My mom let him sleep on the couch for a week, and he had to cook for himself after hours.”
“They say that behind every great man is a great woman. For me, that was definitely not one of my parents. My role models all came straight from Hollywood.”
“Behind every man is a great woman, and behind every great movie is a great scandal.”
“If you think that behind every man is a great woman, then you might be surprised to find out that sex and gender isn't the same thing in this century.”
Origin
The common phrase 'behind every great man is a great woman' is claimed to have originated in the 1900s, when feminism and the recognition of women's rights became more common in the United States and United Kingdom.
The first use of the phrase is difficult to find, but by the mid-1900s the term was already in popular use in the English language.
The phrase would achieve heightened popularity as an anthem during the height of the feminist movement, and the term still makes an occasional resurgence when it is mentioned on social media or as a pop culture reference.
The phrase was more common during a time when women's rights were not recognized as readily as today.
Phrases Similar to Behind Every Man is a Great Woman
- N/a
Phrases Opposite to Behind Every Man is a Great Woman
- N/a
What is the Correct Saying?
- Behind every man is a great woman
Ways People May Say Behind Every Man is a Great Woman
The phrase 'behind every man is a great woman' can be used or understood in the wrong way, with the most common mistaken phrase being a misspelling of 'woman' to 'women' that renders the sentence invalid.
While it is acceptable to shorten the phrase to 'behind every great man...' the phrase '…is a great woman' would make no contextual sense on its own (and possibly mean something else).
Acceptable Ways to Phrase Behind Every Man is a Great Woman
The right way to say the phrase 'behind every man is a great woman' is to use it to imply that someone had a woman's support in their accomplishments.