Dolly Parton’s enduring message on gender equality From romantic double standards to economic patriarchy, she gave women a powerful voice. Gender 1 hour ago

In coming up with such a song at a time when the women’s liberation movement was still in its infancy, Dolly Parton treaded the road not taken by fellow female country musicians like Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn who also sang about social issues but purveyed conservative norms about the responsibility of wives to their husbands and not the other way round.

The song progresses to depict the exploitation in the workplace, wondering “what a way to make a living, barely getting by” because “it’s all taking and no giving”.

The stagnation of the woman is captured in the words “You would think I would deserve a fair promotion/want to move ahead/but the boss won’t seem to let me/I swear sometimes that man is out to get me”.