The Second Sex Book Summary - The Second Sex Book explained in key points

The Second Sex summary

Name: The Second Sex
Rating: 4.5 (129 reviews)
Author: Simone de Beauvoir

Simone de Beauvoir

The feminist classic about how woman has been shaped into the “other” sex

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4.5 (129 ratings)

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What is The Second Sex about?

The Second Sex (1949), an 800-page feminist classic, explains how woman has been shaped into the “Other,” second sex – the negative counterpart to man. By examining history, myths, biology and life experience, de Beauvoir paints a clear picture of why woman is subjugated to man, and how womankind should respond.

About the Author

Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986) was a French philosopher and writer. The Second Sex, her magnum opus, is considered one of the most important books of feminist philosophy.

Table of Contents

Key idea 1 of 16

Across species, females differ from males, but this needn’t entail a difference in status.

When you look at most animal species, you’ll notice that there are differences between males and females. This is certainly true of humans, and many argue that the existence of such differences proves that males and females should have a different status in society.

However, this argument doesn’t hold up.

Yes, there are biological differences, but these don’t justify the subjugation of females to males.

Human males are often physically stronger, with more muscle mass, more red blood cells and greater lung capacity. But such male attributes are only important in a society where greater physical capacity is valued above all else. Some cultures forbid violence, thereby undermining any attempts for males to dominate females with their muscular supremacy. Indeed, it’s only when males are free to impose their physical strength that they can make others believe the arbitrary claim that males – and their muscles – should rule the roost.

In addition to biological arguments, psychoanalytical explanations for the inequality of males and females have also been put forward. These are also rather weak.

Freud places the beginning of the development of the difference between males and females at the genital phase, when the pubescent child starts to associate pleasure with another person, typically someone of the opposite sex. For the male, the penis is still the organ of pleasure, whereas the female shifts focus from clitoral to vaginal pleasure, making the penis – and penetration – the object of her desire. Furthermore, Freud believed that women suffered from penis envy – the sense of once having had a penis, which leaves females feeling bereft and mutilated, inferior to men.

But Freud’s theory has a fundamental flaw: it’s based on a male model. The concept of penis envy can only exist if male genitalia are considered the norm, and female genitalia are seen as lacking something – as being the Other.

So if it’s not biology or psychology that provides the basis for the difference in status between females and males, what is it?

Humankind transitioned from a matriarchal to a patriarchal society that emphasizes woman’s role as the Other.

Most of today’s societies are patriarchal – that is, men occupy the majority of the positions of power. And it’s often assumed that it was always so. But that’s not the case.

In fact, women once wielded more power than men. Many prehistoric societies were matriarchal. Largely based on farming, these societies shared their property and regarded children as an invaluable asset: the means of perpetuating society. As women were the ones capable of bearing children, they were granted an almost sacred status. Indeed, children would usually take the mother’s clan name – in contrast with today’s custom of taking the father’s family name. The great importance placed on women’s fertility was further symbolized by the female gods worshipped by many early societies, like the goddess Ishtar in Babylon, and Gaea, the Greek earth goddess.

Throughout history, patriarchy has been strengthened by structures like inheritance and marriage.

As males came to be seen as the active force in creating life, the rules of society also changed to consolidate the power of the patriarchy.

One major shift was the development of private property and familial inheritance.

In more recent history, the role of women has improved, but woman is still subjugated to man.

We often think of history as a steady progression, a series of improvements leading up to the happier days we find ourselves living in. But is this the case for women? Not quite, although there are areas where woman’s role in society has improved.

Starting in the fifteenth century, women began to take on a more prominent role in cultural life. Their lives were still overwhelmingly dominated by the institution of marriage, but some women gradually found ways of gaining access to previously male arenas.

Religion plays a crucial role in shaping women as the Other.

As long as religion’s been around, it has influenced the way humans think and act. It’s also had a huge impact on the way we view women.

Indeed, many religions situate woman beneath man right from the beginning.

Myths about women have strengthened their role as the Other.

So is religion the only source for our ideas about women? Of course not – there are non-religious myths as well.

For example, there are many myths about menstruation, something only females experience. Even as late as the 1940s, many people in the south of France believed that, if salted by a menstruating woman, pork being cured for ham or bacon would go bad. And while this might seem absurd to us today, such thinking is perpetuated by phrases like, “Well, it’s her time of the month,” which implies that menstruation has such a mystical sway over women that they can no longer control their own behavior.

The process of becoming “woman” starts in childhood.

So if woman is something defined by history, religion and myths, how does one become a woman in the present?

The process begins right after birth. When children are born, their minds are the same. But when society divides them into girls and boys, it creates two very different ways of being in the world.

As girls enter adolescence, they become more “woman,” transforming further into the Other.

So what happens as the girls grow older?

As the separation between boys and girls becomes clearer, girls feel more and more trapped in their situation. At first they think that having children would be a nice thing, because they see the positive effect a mother’s care has on a young child. But as they grow older, and become less dependent on their mothers, girls begin to see being confined to the home as undesirable. Instead, they start to desire the father’s role, which is filled with possibility and agency. This desire is epitomized in a shocking statistic: the English physician Havelock Ellis showed that while only one percent of boys wanted to be girls, over 75 percent of girls wanted to be boys.

Sexuality and sexual initiation are the final stages of entering the role of the woman.

For men and women alike, the loss of virginity marks an initiation into the world of adulthood. But for women, this event is only one marker on the painful path to mature sexuality.

First the budding woman has a terrible insight: she will have sex with men, and this idea fills her with disgust. This is because the things the male gaze consumes – her breasts, her hips, her flesh – are the very symbols that make her a woman subjugated to male power. Many girls express this disgust by harming themselves, which allows them to both punish and take control over the flesh. In this way, a girl can create a feeling of agency by reenacting on herself the active man who hurts the passive woman.

Motherhood finalizes the girls transition to “woman,” but can also be liberating.

We all know what happens when a man and a woman love each other very much: babies. And for female humans this marks the final transition to becoming woman.

In a patriarchal society, pregnancy symbolizes man’s transcendent power to plant a child in the immanent, female flesh.

The tradition of marriage lives on and gives women economic security while also keeping them locked up.

We’ve seen how marriage has played a crucial role in the history of women's subjugation, but how have women been affected by marriage in more recent times?

In short, little has changed.

Women’s dress is a form of subjugation that continues until woman is freed by old age.

Subjugation isn’t always about money. It manifests itself in other ways, too.

For example, woman is pressured to dress in a way that pleases the male gaze – even when such dress is uncomfortable. Short skirts allow for less freedom of movement than trousers, and high heels quickly cause blisters. Skimpy lingerie don’t serve any practical purpose, while corsets make it difficult to breathe. But the male gaze is so strong that many women think that dressing “well” makes them feel good, when in fact it’s making them feel desired by the gaze that is forcing them to be desirable in the first place.

Prostitution legitimates marriage but is just another form of female servitude.

So, marriage and motherhood turn girls into women, but what about unmarried women? Aren’t they free from the trappings of a male-dominated culture?

Nope.

The situation of women makes it harder for women to revolt.

If the situation of women is so tragic, why do they not simply revolt?

When the author was writing, women’s rights was not yet a mass movement. And even today, despite the many women fighting for their rights, the majority of women are still constantly subjugated, which eliminates any feeling of responsibility for their situation, and makes them believe they are powerless to change it.

Narcissism and love are ways women justify being subjugated to man.

How many rom-coms have you seen where the woman justifies her relationship with some schmuck by saying, “But I love him!”

Why do they do that?

Until both males and females see each other as peers, the two sexes will never be equal.

We’ve now seen the many forces that transform the female into woman – a grim process. But what about the future? Is equality on the horizon?

To be truly equal man and woman must see each other as peers, and that will require mutual recognition of the subjectivity of both man and woman. This means neither man nor woman may objectify the other. For example, think of an underwear ad where the male body is made into flesh for women’s pleasure. This reversal of power may feel satisfying to women, but, really, it only perpetuates antagonism between the sexes.

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The Second Sex summary

Listen to the first key idea

What is The Second Sex about?

About the Author

Across species, females differ from males, but this needn’t entail a difference in status.

Humankind transitioned from a matriarchal to a patriarchal society that emphasizes woman’s role as the Other.

Throughout history, patriarchy has been strengthened by structures like inheritance and marriage.

In more recent history, the role of women has improved, but woman is still subjugated to man.

Religion plays a crucial role in shaping women as the Other.

Myths about women have strengthened their role as the Other.

The process of becoming “woman” starts in childhood.

As girls enter adolescence, they become more “woman,” transforming further into the Other.

Sexuality and sexual initiation are the final stages of entering the role of the woman.

Motherhood finalizes the girls transition to “woman,” but can also be liberating.

The tradition of marriage lives on and gives women economic security while also keeping them locked up.

Women’s dress is a form of subjugation that continues until woman is freed by old age.

Prostitution legitimates marriage but is just another form of female servitude.

The situation of women makes it harder for women to revolt.

Narcissism and love are ways women justify being subjugated to man.

Until both males and females see each other as peers, the two sexes will never be equal.

Key ideas in The Second Sex

Across species, females differ from males, but this needn’t entail a difference in status.

Humankind transitioned from a matriarchal to a patriarchal society that emphasizes woman’s role as the Other.

Throughout history, patriarchy has been strengthened by structures like inheritance and marriage.

In more recent history, the role of women has improved, but woman is still subjugated to man.

Religion plays a crucial role in shaping women as the Other.

Myths about women have strengthened their role as the Other.

The process of becoming “woman” starts in childhood.

As girls enter adolescence, they become more “woman,” transforming further into the Other.

Sexuality and sexual initiation are the final stages of entering the role of the woman.

Motherhood finalizes the girls transition to “woman,” but can also be liberating.

The tradition of marriage lives on and gives women economic security while also keeping them locked up.

Women’s dress is a form of subjugation that continues until woman is freed by old age.

Prostitution legitimates marriage but is just another form of female servitude.

The situation of women makes it harder for women to revolt.

Narcissism and love are ways women justify being subjugated to man.

Until both males and females see each other as peers, the two sexes will never be equal.

Who should read The Second Sex

Categories with The Second Sex

Books like The Second Sex

What our members say

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