I don't think that women ought to sit down at table with men. It ruins conversation and I'm sure it's very bad for them. It puts ideas in their heads, and women are never at ease with themselves when they have ideas.
This quote from W. Somerset Maugham's Of Human Bondage starkly exposes a sexist and condescending perspective that was prevalent during the author’s time but is deeply problematic even now. The assertion that women's presence and engagement in conversation with men somehow 'ruins' the interaction is reflective of a broader historical tendency to marginalize women intellectually and socially. It reveals a fear of female intellect and agency, implying that ‘ideas’ are dangerous...
