Summary: Book 1. The arena of feminism: Simone de Beauvoir and the history of
feminism / Iris van der Tuin (2018)
Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986) is best known for The Second Sex (1949), in which she probes
perceptions of women and discusses the way they are represented, how they see themselves, and
what future might hold for young girls. De Beauvoir advances the theory that women are classified as
secondclass-citizens in relation to men. Men as well as women persist in affirming this unequal
relationship, both in the choices they make and in their actions, as these appear to be the effects of
rigid and inflexible role patterns. Beauvoir appears to be saying that women are inescapably stuck in a
hopeless situation, but her analysis offers room for change: “One is not born, but rather becomes,
woman.” Gender is a social construction: women are not determined by their biology. Because
women and femininity are socially constructed, alternatives can be designed.
In part I she constructs how second-class citizenship for women has been realised.
Part II concentrates on the social relationships between men and women and how women give shape
to their lives. She demonstrates that women are in a way complicit in acquiring their second-class
citizenship because of limited possibilities, their choices appear to demonstrate that they are generally
reconciled with their situation. Beauvoir argues that this situation should come to an end. Women
should acquire an active attitude (against their habits).
The Second Sex e xplains the unequal relationship between men and women and gives some
possible routes towards change. De Beauvoir demonstrates that social structures, psychological
processes, moral values and representations are structured according to binary oppositions. Each
such opposition is gendered. This implies that gender-neutral phenomena principally acquire a
gender. The object, the passive and unfree, the irrational, the unconscious, body, nature, being
determined, being unaccountable and nothingness will time and again signify femininity.
Gender-specific connotations are not simply structured as binary oppositions, they are also organised
hierarchically. Masculinity is always valued more highly than femininity. De Beauvoir suggests that
this is applicable to all times and places. Although somewhat adapted and refined, it still forms the
pillars of contemporary feminism and gender studies.
The Second Sex i ntroduces the term ‘the situation of woman’ in referring to the second-class
citizenship. In using ‘situation’, she wishes to show that this is not a woman’s essence, but rather is a
situation that can be changed. She begins with the statement that the equality achieved between men
(first-wave feminism) is merely on paper. There is no mutual dependence between the terms
masculine and feminine, which is shown by the need for adding the ‘female’ adjective. The man is the
Self, the woman is the historical Other. All women in any situation are the negative and non-essential,
while men are the neutral and positive, the essential and natural. Because of this, women are by
definition worse off than any class of men. (Sartrean philosophy: existentialism with pour-soi and
en-soi. There is always a conflict when two people meet. The first transforms into the unnatural
subject, the second into the natural object.) De Beauvoir argues that woman is the Other to man for
historical reasons and not for biological reasons.
De Beauvoir wants women to have access to masculine domains, and realises that this presence will
effectively change those domains. She puts her bets on communism.
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The Second Sex i s a feminist classic, while Beauvoir considered ‘feminism’ to be a dirty word and put
her bets on communism rather than feminism. She thought feminists attempt to polemicize robs them
of all value: one needs to get out of these vague notions of superiority, inferiority and equality in order
to start anew.
