Introduction
In De Beauvoir’s words, women are constantly oppressed as depicted and also because of a lack economic independence. A number of Simone de Beauvoir’s assertions were indeed rooted to this author’s time and space and a woman’s place in her society’s economy was indeed determined by her dependence on the man as the creator and provider. The paper shall exploit this theme in detail with some examples given on how the author explored it.
Women and economic independence
It should be noted that De Beauvoir wrote her book at a time in history when feminist philosophy had not yet been heavily investigated. In fact, some of the assertions brought forth by this thinker were simply unheard of at that time. Indeed, this was one of the reasons why this book generated a lot of controversy at the time. (Deirdre 24) In the book, the author largely talks about treatment of the woman as the ‘other’ in that she is second place to the man who is regarded as an absolute form. She cites a series of explanations that could have caused this occurrence such as biological, psychoanalytic, anthropological as well as literary.
In all the latter notions, it is clear to see that an essential part of female oppression by the male stems from an inability to take part in creation/ work. In other words, a women’s role is limited in production due to the biological experiences she goes through such as lactation, pregnancy as well as menstruation. Here, the author quickly asserts that it is not these actual biological processes that limit her capacity to be economically productive, however, it is the biases of the male that perceive her as being different and thus inferior because of the physical differences she possesses (Changfoot, p. 410).
In psychoanalysis, the main proponent (Sigmund Freud) asserts that sexual development in men occurs in one stage i.e. through the penis while in the female it occurs in two stages i.e. first the clitoris at childhood and then the vagina after puberty. The latter stage prepares a woman for her role in satisfaction of the male and therefore brings out an important element in understanding women’s place in society; that women become developmentally inclined to be objectified by males. This psycho analytic stance contributes to the passive position that a woman plays in her life and this eventually trickles into other parts of her life such as participation in work.
Historically speaking, women have often been given impossible ideals as highlighted in the use of terms such as ‘nature’, ‘motherland’, ‘virginity’ and many others. These are all concepts that tend to generalize expectations of society from all women yet one cannot expect virginity or motherhood to be the same for all women. Consequently, women find that they are confined to these ideals. They often spend their time trying to meet these expectations and eventually become slaves of this contradiction. The latter issue has a reflection on one’s ability to engage in creativity because women realize that they may deviate from this ideal if they pursue an alien line of action such as being economically independent (Arnfred, p. 263).
Throughout life, the author asserts that women are made to accept a subjective position. This position is usually mapped out during a woman’s childhood where the kind of education she receives as well as the tasks she is given all push her to such a place. She adds that adolescence as well as sexual development prepare her for such a place. This is why certain roles as motherhood, prostitution as well as marriage are all characterized by inactivity in various forms. As a mother, a woman engages in monotonous tasks of nurturing as no creativity is involved here. In prostitution, women are reduced to objects made merely for man’s pleasure. While in marriage, wives are reduced to the monotony of tending their houses. All these roles make a woman heavily dependent on a man for her survival. She is seen only as an ‘object’ that exists solely for the purpose of meeting man’s needs and demands. In this regard, she is trapped in a series of routine and natural activities devoid off any creativity. Yet the latter elements are crucial parts of a man’s world. Such roles render her economically insignificant or dependent on the man (Moi, p. 3).
Economic independence for women is an essential part of a woman’s quest for gender equality. The author believes that for a woman to take her place, she ought to engage in free projects irrespective of the danger and risks involved. Aside from that, a woman needs to “take action, create, pride herself in her thinking and hence declare herself as being equal” (De Beauvior, p. 79). All the latter aspects echo earlier sentiments that women are oppressed because of their inability to work or to create. The author further gives practical solutions to economic independence and hence female emancipation; “equal education, universal childcare, contraception..” (De Beauvior, p. 30). The latter suggestions can pave the way towards participation in creativity and productive labor. These will transform society into a more liberal or a more equal one.
Conclusion
Simone de Beauvoir claims that women are alienated and oppressed because of several factors such as biology, literature, history as well as psychoanalysis. All these schools of thoughts contribute towards the perceptions and expectations made of women and most of them end up being largely passive. In other words, all positions expected of women lack one thing; creativity. It is this issue that causes them to be economically dependent on men. The author further adds that emancipation will only be possible if a woman is granted the right to be creative and engage in active labor.
References
- Changfoot, Nadine. “Transcendence in Simone de Beauvoir’s the second sex.” Philosophy and social criticism journal. 35. 4 (2009): 410
- Arnfred, Signe. “Simone de Beauvoir: Woman = the second sex.” Journal of culture and African women studies 25.4 (2002): 263
- De Beauvior, Simone. The Second Sex. New York: Penguin Publishers, 1949. Web.
- Deirdre, Bair. Simone de Beauvoir – a biography. New York: Summit Books, 1990
- Moi, Toril. This changed my life. The Guardian, 2008: 3