Planning ahead is a measure of class. The rich and even the middle class plan for future generations, but the poor can plan ahead only a few weeks or days.

Steinem’s remark links “planning ahead” to socioeconomic power rather than personal virtue. It suggests that long-term planning—saving, investing, pursuing education, shaping opportunities for descendants—is easiest when one has financial slack, stable housing, and predictable access to healthcare and work. By contrast, poverty compresses time horizons: urgent needs (rent, food, childcare, emergencies) force attention to the next day or week, making multi-year planning structurally difficult. The quote critiques narratives that blame poor people for lacking foresight, reframing short-term decision-making as a rational response to insecurity. It also implies that class reproduces itself across generations partly through unequal capacity to plan and buffer risk.