A review by mrbear
The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir

2.0

As a fundimental feminist text, this was actually a surprisingly interesting read. I disagreed with so much of it. Mostly I don't support the general idea that "liberty" and "what is natural" is always positive. In my opinion, women by nature of their biological position are always at a slight physical and general disadvantage (based on their need to undergo pregnancy, for example). Creating a system in which this basic problem is removed is an important step, but to call this new system "natural" was frustrating to me. This is not "liberation" in the sense that she means it, but the creation of equality. It is not our social systems that cause inequality, but biology. Our social systems must correct for biological inequity, and blaming them for causing or widening the biological issues is sort of silly. Not to mention that I felt her entire interpretation of the biological differences were silly (men and women put in an equal amount of effort in the creation of a child? really?).