The Women Men Don't See

The Women Men Don't See is a classic feminist SF short story / novelette by James Tiptree, Jr..

Excerpts

First paragraph: "I see her first while the Mexicana 727 is barreling down to Cozumel Island. I come out of the can and lurch into her seat, saying "Sorry," at a double female blur. The near blur nods quietly. The younger one in the window seat goes on looking out. I continue down the aisle, registering nothing. Zero. I never would have looked at them or thought of them again."

"'Women have no rights ... except what men allow us. Men are more aggressive and powerful, and they run the world. When the next real crisis upsets them, our so-called rights will vanish ... We'll be back where we always were: property. And whatever has gone wrong will be blamed on our freedom."

Notable publications

• The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Nov. 1973 (first publication)
• The Best Science Fiction of the Year #3, (Jul 1974, ed. Terry Carr, publ. Ballantine, 0-345-24063-4, $1.50, 365pp, pb, anth) Cover: Larry Sutton
• Warm Worlds and Otherwise, (Feb 1975, James Tiptree, Jr., publ. Ballantine Books, 0-345-24380-3, C$1.50, xviii+222pp, pb, coll) Cover: Don R. Smith
• The New Women of Wonder, (Jan 1978, ed. Pamela Sargent, publ. Vintage, 0-394-72438-0, $1.95, 363pp, pb, anth) Cover: Charles Shields
• Her Smoke Rose Up Forever, (Jun 1990, James Tiptree, Jr., publ. Arkham House, 0-87054-160-9, $25.95, xv+520pp, hc, coll) Cover: Andrew Smith
• The Norton Book of Science Fiction: North American Science Fiction, 1960-1990, (Oct 1993, ed. Ursula K. Le Guin, Brian Attebery, publ. W. W. Norton & Company, 0-393-03546-8, $27.50, 869pp, hc, anth) Cover: Dale O'Dell.
• Women of Wonder, the Classic Years: Science Fiction by Women from the 1940s to the 1970s, (Aug 1995, ed. Pamela Sargent, publ. Harvest, 0-15-600031-8, $15.00, viii+440pp, tp, anth) Cover: Michael Koelsch
• The Norton Book of Science Fiction: North American Science Fiction, 1960-1990 (Jun 1999, ed. Ursula K. Le Guin, Brian Attebery, publ. W. W. Norton & Company, 0-393-97241-0, $36.60, 870pp, tp, anth) Cover: Dale O'Dell
• Her Smoke Rose Up Forever, (Nov 2004, James Tiptree, Jr., publ. Tachyon Publications, 1-892391-20-1, $15.95, xiv+508pp, tp, coll) Cover: John Picacio
• Reprinted at Scifi.com

Reviews & further reading

• Paul Brians, Notes on Selected Stories from The Norton Book of Science Fiction (Aug. 25, 2005): "James Tiptree, Jr. was the pseudonym of Alice Sheldon, who disguised her sex for several years while becoming one of the most distinguished short- story writers in SF. Does it change how you read this story to know that it was written by a woman? Characterize the narrator: what sort of person is he? What sort of thoughts does he concentrate on in regards to the women? Compare his attitude toward the Mayas with Mrs. Parson's. What is his reaction to her feminism? What does Mrs. Parson's last speech mean? Noli me tangere is a quotation from John 20:17, in which the newly-resurrected Jesus tells Mary Magdalene "Touch me not." The phrase has often been sarcastically used of women who are not interested in sex (at least not in sex with the speaker). "Quién estás? A socorro!" is Spanish for "Who are you? Help!" "Chingarse" is Spanish for "F*** you!""
• Chally, "Review: “The Women Men Don’t See” by James Tiptree, Jr.", Zero at the Bone (blog), 2009/09/01.
• ASterling, "The Women Men Don't See", Incipit Vita Nova: Enter a New Life (blog), Nov. 28, 2008.

Awards

• 1974 - The Women Men Don't See Locus Poll Award, Best Short Fiction (Place: 18)