The Second Sex

About “The Second Sex”

The Second Sex is a 1949 book by Simone de Beauvoir, a French existentialist philosopher. In it, she examines the treatment of women throughout history. She wrote the book over about 14 months, between 1946 and 1949. The book was published in two volumes: Facts and Myths and Lived Experience. Some chapters were first published in the journal Les Temps modernes. The book is considered a major work of feminist philosophy and a key inspiration for second-wave feminism.