Women are physically weaker than men. Science has proven their bodies to anatomically different and in return, society has made science a justification for oppression. The Chapter, “Biological Data”, in The Second Sex by Simone De Beauvoir, looks at the human biology and its’ relation to society. According to Beauvoir, a women’s body is not an enough to define her and biology alone shouldn’t be the driving factor in society making women the Other. The Other is women being place secondary to men and must define herself through men. Beauvoir understands the importance of the physical differences between genders but believes it should not be used as the social constructs of society. Written in the first wave, Beauvoir’s ideas reflect …show more content…
Society believed otherwise and echoed its’ belief in the weakness of the female body. Beauvoir also commented on society’s belief of the female body during the first wave: “As soon as we accept a human perspective, defining the body starting from existence, biology becomes an abstract science… this meaning immediately becomes dependent on a whole context; “weakness” is weakness only in light of the aims man sets for himself, the instruments at his disposal, and the laws he imposes” (Beauvoir 46). Beauvoir does not believe females should be limited because of man deeming them weak. Male dominated society has denied “a human perspective” and chose biology to impose domination. Societies belief of this “weakness” transferred over to athletics, where female athletes were deemed weaker and more fragile than their male counterparts. Ederle became an exception to this belief and society found it astonishing that a woman could achieve swimming the channel. She shattered the idea of the feeble and frail women and therefore was placed in a separate category than the rest of the female population. Placing her above females stripped her of her femininity and allowed for “man” to continued imposing oppression on the rest of the female population. Society continued to undervalue female athletes by using their sex as a manner of oppression during the second wave. In 1973, Billie Jean King played the famous tennis match, The Battle of the Sexes, against Bobby
Traditionally women were viewed as equipped to participate in sports, and their involvement was viewed as unfeminine and undesirable. This Article Examples the women were viewed as unfeminine to the sports that men play and undesirable. Young girls who are given an early opportunity to participate in sports may be more prepared for the male in classrooms. Even though women have often been relegated to second-hand citizenship in the same socializing, integration, statues, and recognition that benefit male athletes. (By; Sandra L. Hanson)
Throughout history, women have constantly been objectified and forced into submission by the male dominated society. Simone de Beauvoir’s philosophical work, The Second Sex, echoes the intense oppression of women and reflects the first wave feminist movement. Her existentialist decoding of genders resulted in the idea of the Other, which explores the phenomenon of women forced into the role of an object, while men are the subject. In the second chapter, “The Girl”, Beauvoir further studies the idea of this oppression during one’s transition from a girl into a woman. Beauvoir states that no matter how much freedom and sense of self a girl holds, she is always forced into the role of the Other in society. Beauvoir 's idea of the Other held
In the chapter titled “History” within the book called The Second Sex, Beauvoir talks about various of events and changes along with encounters that provided opportunities to seize greater freedom for women as a collectivity. For instance, when women were able to leave their homes and actually take an outside job, it allowed women a bit confused as to what roles she needed to partake in. Given that men were always gender-policing women to fit the ideal role, the women found it difficult to transitions and thus loose a sense of self along the way. De Beauvoir also states that gainful employment can stop the cycle of dependency on man and thus allow the two genders men and women to see each other’s as equals. It is within the book The Second Sex that De Beauvoir tries to understand the imbalance of gender roles to help her understand this she turns to the biology, psychoanalyst and the historical materialism. In her findings, she reveals that although there are some physical differences between women and men there is no proven facts that women cant do the same task as men in a workforce.
In a psychological study with five year-old children, Erwin Straus observes that boys and girls throw differently. He concludes that the reason girls throw the way they do is because they are “feminine” and thus throw with a “feminine attitude” in relation to the world and to the space surrounding them. He posits this to be a natural, biologically based “feminine essence.” Simone de Beauvoir rejects this notion and, instead, claims human existence is to be defined by the individual’s situation. Beauvoir places great focus on physiology when talking about the woman’s bodily being and her physical
Current society is built upon stereotypes and constructions that are predetermined by previous generations’ views. One of the most recognised historical constructions is the patriarchal theory, that the female is subservient to the male. However, this construction of gender power is slowly equalising, with the rise of feminist groups in the latter part of the 20th century giving reason for this occurring. Nevertheless, gender battles are still occurring, particularly in the sporting industry, which remains male dominated. Female sport has been given much notoriety over their uproar in the past decade, but is finding in a male controlled industry it is difficult for women to receive help from governing bodies. Female sport is
Drawing heavily on de Beauvoir (1953) she highlights the constraints placed upon women by their reproductive biology; that menstruation, pregnancy and childbirth are not only detrimental to her physical strength and health but also confine her to the ‘mere reproduction of life’. This stands in contrast to man, who is free to assert his
There is also a perceived flaw with this issue in the world of sports. For example, there is a clear double-standard in gymnastics, as the men?s equipment is constructed for heavy, muscular men; where as the women?s equipment is suitable only for ?pubescent girls? who will one day grow out of the their competitive eligibility. Once again, we see the strong man glorified and the woman, of similar age, as obsolete with other tasks to perform. Similar injustices can be found in other sports as well, such as some of the ball handling rules in women?s basketball, which serve to slow down the flow and intensity of what should be a high-speed and exciting game.
An example of a female athlete being ridiculed for portraying society’s idea of non-femininity is Martina Navratilova. Martina was the first female tennis player who began to play tennis more as a power sport than a sport of technique. Subdued by an oppressive communist system that controlled the Czech Tennis Federation, she was seen to be playing in the style of men instead of playing women's tennis. As she did not fit into society's image of how a woman should look, behave and play tennis, she was ridiculed and branded as the proverbial ‘bad egg’ when compared to her contemporaries. Additionally, she was branded as a lesbian, which caused more hardship for her as she was forced to face a world which was much more homophobic at that time than it is now. Her sexual orientation is not a prime issue; it was something that was used against her and something that was assumed simply because she did not portray the feminine image that is expected of women.
Simone de Beauvoir, in her 1949 text The Second Sex, examines the problems faced by women in Western society. She argues that women are subjugated, oppressed, and made to be inferior to males – simply by virtue of the fact that they are women. She notes that men define their own world, and women are merely meant to live in it. She sees women as unable to change the world like men can, unable to live their lives freely as men can, and, tragically, mostly unaware of their own oppression. In The Second Sex, de Beauvoir describes the subjugation of woman, defines a method for her liberation, and recommends strategies for this liberation that still have not been implemented today.
The adverse topic of women in sports stems from society's disregard to viewing women as persons. Women were, and in other parts of the world continue to be viewed as property of men and have no significant role in society. Being allowed into the Olympics was a step in the right direction for women across the world, but it was meager attempt equality. Women were still restricted by what events they were allowed to compete in, how they were trained and coached and even limited as to what they could wear. A woman’s femininity played a large role in the way they were perceived by society; weak. Women were seen as incommensurate to men and it was something that has taken us centuries to reverse. Today, women are given the rights we should have
The following text comes from Simone de Beauvoir called “The Second Sex,” which discusses the ideas of the feminist
Another athlete who took a political stance was Billie-Jean King, who fought for equal gender rights in sport. On September 20, 1973 Billie- Jean King took on men’s champion Bobby Riggs in a battle of the sexes tennis match. Riggs was known for criticizing women’s sports and female athletes . King stated, “I just had to play, Title IX (the ban on gender discrimination in federally funded educational program) had just passed, and I wanted to change the hearts and minds of people to match the legislation” . King beat Riggs in three straight sets, inspiring female athletes across the globe to break gender barriers.
De Beauvoir’s “Woman as Other” lays out an elaborate argument on gender inequality; using the term “other” to establish woman’s alternate, lesser important role throughout her work, the author dissects and examines from its origin the female’s secondary position in society in contrast to man. Indeed, from the beginning of recorded history, the duality of man, by definition, positions woman at the opposing end of the spectrum in relation to her male counterpart. Even by today’s modern and accepting standards, the female suffers under the brand of being the sub-standard half of the duality equation; compared to her male opponent, women are paid lower wages, have fewer and limited expression of rights, achieve lower
On September 20, 1973 Billie- Jean King took on men’s champion Bobby Riggs in a battle of the sexes tennis match. Riggs was known for criticizing women’s sports and female athletes. King stated, “I just had to play, Title IX [the ban on gender discrimination in federally funded educational programs] had just passed, and I wanted to change the hearts and minds of people to match the legislation” (Smithsonian). King beat Riggs in three straight sets, inspiring female athletes across the globe to break gender barriers.
Lastly, “femininity” refers to behavioural activities or interests that are assigned to the female sex, such as cleaning and cooking (Beauvoir, 617). Although many critics have read her text and become confused due to her stylistic choice to fuse her voice with the voices of famous men, it can be said that the text ultimately leads the reader to begin to question what society sees as a woman (Zerilli, 1-2). Despite Beauvoir’s The Second Sex appearing to recognize the oppression of women throughout the world without giving an actual solution, I will argue that Beauvoir’s evaluation of each “natural” aspect of female oppression allows readers to recognize that the only thing holding themselves back as a woman is society’s unnatural definition of their body, relation to men, and personal freedoms. Of course, when it comes to one's freedom, it is difficult to obtain when your body feels like a