Women's value has been under-recognized for far too long.

When Sidney Sheldon declared, “Women’s value has been under-recognized for far too long,” he spoke not only as a storyteller of his age but as a herald of truth that had echoed through millennia. For from the dawn of history, the strength, wisdom, and tenderness of women have been the hidden pillars upon which kingdoms were built, yet too often their names were forgotten, their voices silenced, their worth diminished. His words rise like a trumpet call, reminding us that what is under-recognized must now be brought into the full light of justice.

The ancients themselves bore witness, though their chronicles often obscured it. Behind the triumphs of generals and kings stood mothers, wives, and daughters whose value was immeasurable. Did not Aspasia of Miletus shape the thought of Pericles and, through him, the destiny of Athens? Did not Hypatia, the philosopher of Alexandria, illuminate minds with her wisdom even as the world sought to tear her down? These are but fragments of a vast truth—that the story of humanity is incomplete without honoring the value of women.

History’s lessons continue. Consider the tale of Marie Curie, who entered a field of science ruled by men and emerged as the first woman to win a Nobel Prize—and the only one to win it twice, in two disciplines. Her discoveries reshaped medicine and physics alike, yet even she fought for recognition, her value questioned in halls of power that could not see past prejudice. Sheldon’s words remind us that she was not alone: countless women, brilliant and brave, have walked roads lined with thorns, their greatness unacknowledged by those who should have celebrated them.

To say that women’s value has been under-recognized is not merely to lament the past but to awaken the present. For the chains of silence are not yet fully broken, and the work of honoring and uplifting is the work of every generation. The ancients would teach us: what is denied for too long builds like a river behind a dam, until at last it bursts forth, sweeping all falsehood away. So must the recognition of women flow freely, nourishing the soil of justice and equality.

Let these words stand as a charge to all who hear them. The value of women is not a hidden ember but a blazing fire, essential to the warmth and survival of humanity. To honor it is to strengthen society itself; to deny it is to wound the very body of civilization. Let us therefore recognize, uplift, and celebrate, so that the daughters of tomorrow walk in the light their foremothers were too often denied.