behind every great man is a great woman

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

the observation that the achievements of celebrated men are typically supported by and indebted to the contributions of women — wives, mothers, partners, collaborators — whose work goes unrecognised; the phrase originated as a tribute to women's invisible labour and influence but is now frequently cited ironically or critically to highlight the way women have been relegated to supporting roles while men received public credit; feminists use it to expose the gendered division between public achievement and private support, and to argue for making women's contributions visible and valued in their own right rather than as adjuncts to male success; the phrase captures a historical reality while also naming the injustice that that reality represents