Over the years, this question has lingered in society without a permanent answer or one that is universally accepted. The definition of what it means to be a woman is constantly changing. It reflects the times by assigning traits to the female body. Labels have been given to women who are obedient, weak, submissive, and well behaved. They also get labels for their abilities like being an outstanding cook, good at raising children, and an efficient homemaker. Stereotypes have also been created based solely on gender. Women are thought to be less intelligent than men, and unable to perform important or challenging jobs. Simone de Beauvoir however rejects all of these labels and claims that the notion of a proper woman is socially constructed in The Second Sex. She questions who a women is and how to identify, if at all. The distinction between men and woman is still present today but it was never meant to be. It has developed over time. The man has given meaning to the woman’s existence, which has led her to achieve her position in society. Due to these external influences, the social conception of gender has developed into a concept that is accepted and executed.
Beauvoir states that society constructs gender and that it is entirely based on women’s inferiority and their differences. Beauvoir explains it by saying: “A male’s body can be understood without referring to a female body, but a woman’s appears devoid of significance when it is not considered in relation to a male body. Man believes he is without woman. Woman doesn’t think of herself without man. The concept of gender has been relegated to the subordinate position because without women, men wouldn’t have anything to compare themselves to. Yet the existence and power of men in society are not in question. In the modern world, male dominance means that women have become distinct and different from men. They are nothing without them. Femininity is not possible without the male counterparts. In this way, the forced sense of femininity that women have to live with is based upon the external classifications of gender.
In a very similar fashion, the socially constructed gender of a woman separates her from a man. She is then treated as an Other and labelled as such, while in exchange, man assumes the position or the One, who is the superior. Beauvoir begins by stating that “no group has ever defined itself as One, without immediately putting up the other opposite themselves” (Beauvoir 6). For one identity to clearly dominate the other, they first have to be separated and then acknowledge and submit their position. Beauvoir claims that the difference between male and female bodies was not meaningful at first, even though they are physically different. As Beauvoir says, the development of Other vs. One has led to a society where supremacy is a natural and craved feeling. The desperate need for a ruling group has been a key factor in forming the self-esteem of women and the society around them today.
Beauvoir also points out that the desire to differentiate and define people based on their differences may exist only in the minds those who are aware of them. The statement, “The category Other” is as primitive as consciousness is how she demonstrates that this recognition is a normal part of being human. The dualities of Self and Other are found in ancient mythologies as well as primitive societies. This division was not always made on the basis of sex, nor did it follow any Alterity. This implies that the act of identifying differences among people and attaching meanings to them is inherently human, since these differences cannot be found in nature. But, humanity has always understood and applied essence, without which gender differences could not be meaningful. Every concept of the self that surrounds females is built on the external fact that mankind needs to give significance to all existences and identify a dominant species.
Beauvoir argues in The Second Sex, that a woman’s status as an alterity is determined by her inability to “become”. She says, “When a person or group of people is placed in a position of inferiority, it is a fact that they are inferior.” However, it is important to know the extent of the verb be. In bad faith, the verb be takes on a substantive value […]. The fact is that women are inferior to men today. Their situation gives them fewer opportunities. She argues in this that women are given fewer options than men because of social norms. Sex is a biological necessity and should be acknowledged as such, but shouldn’t be used to dictate how things are done in society. Sex, along with class, race and sexuality are all accidental traits. The concept of a gender is, however, not accidental. In this cessation, society has a predetermined ideal of what a woman should be. The woman who was once “becoming”, now exists in a state that is characterized by standard intelligence, behavior and appearance of women.
Beauvoir’s response is, “Clearly, a woman cannot claim to be positioned beyond her gender without bad-faith” (Beauvoir p. 4). Bad faith is when someone is unwilling to accept their situation, and therefore is not able to move beyond their current self. Beauvoir emphasizes that a woman’s ability to transcend the physical body is essential in order to overcome the social restrictions placed on her. She states that men have used biology to define difference and defend women from competing against males. At best, they were prepared to grant the opposite sex an “equal but separate status” (Beauvoir). Beauvoir, on the other hand, argues that biology is not destiny and shouldn’t be used to define a person’s existence. She also emphasizes that you cannot be separated and equal in a society. In fact, this has been a justification for a variety of cases in which minorities are subjugated. ‘The eternal female’ corresponds with ‘the Jewish or black character’, according to Beauvoir (12). She argues that this mindset has been used in history by the One, to control and manipulate the Others.
While sex is a biological reality, gender is a construct that was created to give meaning to a set of otherwise meaningless characteristics like sex. Gender is an idea, not a biological reality. It is created only to undercut and lock in the Other in a subordinate position, which in this example is the woman. This othering is done to maintain power, control and ensure that one is never threatened with becoming subordinate. This submission from the state becoming to a being has led to the development in society of a picturesque image of women. The accepted image of the female body is based on external influences and exterior gender concepts.
Beauvoir, Simone de. Simone de Beauvoir’s work, “The Second Sex,” is a seminal text that examines the roles of women throughout history. Trans. Constance Borde & Sheillier Chevallier. Vintage Books published a New York edition in 2011. Print.