"Woman can change better’n a man," Ma said soothingly. "Woman got all her life in her arms. Man got it all in his head."
– John Steinbeck
The Grapes of Wrath, Chapter 28. Ma Joad is the archtype of the strong mother figure, the citadel of the family who guides it through difficult times. Here she tells her husband that women are more flexible and adapt to change better than men, while men tend to overthink things.