The Moon is a Harsh Mistress Women and Femininity Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

[…]—but I've seen records; she was Peace Corps enrollee (involuntary), which means what you think: juvenile delinquency female type. As she was in early clan marriage (Stone Gang) and shared six husbands with another woman, identity of maternal grandfather open to question. But was often so and I'm content with grandpappy she picked. (1.15)

Mannie's line marriage has the husband—or in this case, senior husband—as the head of the household, but as we'll see, many family roles traditionally associated with men are claimed by women. In this case, the grandmother decides the family legacy for the children, not the father, suggesting women aren't wards of their husbands per Western tradition. With that said, the surname still comes from the male side.

Quote #2

I shoved her down, with hard left hand. Surprised her, and surprised me—had not touched her in any way save necessary contact. Oh, different today, but was 2075 and touching a fem without her consent—plenty of lonely men to come to rescue and airlock never far away. As kids say, Judge Lynch never sleeps. (4.37)

Okay, so the idea that an entire society won't touch a woman without her consent sounds great. But there's something off about this quote, and it's the word "lonely." It suggests that the only reason they bother in the first place is because they are hoping to receive companionship from her. In other words, she's useful to men for what she is and not who she is (Source).

Quote #3

[The women] did not speak to yellow jackets nor look at them; they simply crossed their line of sight, undulating as only a Loonie gal can. (A female on Terra can't walk that way; she's tied down by six times too much weight.)

Such of course produces a male gallery, from men down to lads not yet pubescent—happy whistles and cheers for her beauty, nasty laughs at yellow boy. First girls to take this duty were slot-machine types but volunteers sprang up so fast that Prof decided we need not spend money. (9.27-28)

Women have a place in the revolution's efforts, but it's not thanks to their skills or intelligence. Rather, women use their bodies to make the enemy sexually frustrated and become objects in the eyes of male revolutionaries rather than compatriots. Clearly Luna is not the place for Rosie the Riveter and her kin.