The quote “Well-behaved women seldom make history” is often attributed to Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, a historian and professor at Harvard University. She first coined this phrase in 1976 in an article titled “The Woman’s History Movement: A Review” published in The Radical History Review. Ulrich later expanded on this idea in her book Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History (2007), where she discusses how history tends to overlook women who follow societal expectations and norms.
While the phrase has become widely popular and associated with feminist movements, Ulrich has explained that it was originally intended as a reflection on how history often celebrates those who defy convention, rather than those who conform to it.
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