You may go over the world and you will find that every form of religion that has breathed upon this earth, has degraded women. There is not one that has not always made her subject to man.

Stanton argues that women’s subordination is not an accidental byproduct of particular cultures but a recurring structural feature of organized religion as historically practiced. By inviting the listener to “go over the world,” she frames her claim as comparative and universal: across traditions, religious authority has tended to sanctify male dominance, making women “subject to man” through doctrine, law, and custom. The quote reflects Stanton’s broader feminist critique that appeals to divine command have been used to naturalize inequality and to resist reforms in education, property rights, marriage, and political participation. Its significance lies in shifting the debate from individual prejudice to institutional power: if religion legitimates hierarchy, emancipation requires challenging religious as well as civil authority.