Discover published sets by community

Beauvoir's feminist philosophy is rooted in existentialism, emphasizing individual freedom, responsibility, and the role of personal choice in creating one’s essence, impacting feminist theory by affirming women's agency.

Beauvoir criticized the association of men with transcendence (activity, creativity, and freedom) and women with immanence (passivity, repetition, and confinement), thereby highlighting one dimension of women's oppression.

Beauvoir's concept that women have historically been defined as the 'Other' or the deviant form of the male 'norm', is critical to the feminist movement's understanding of gender inequality and oppression.

In her work 'The Ethics of Ambiguity', Beauvoir explores the idea that ambiguity is inherent to the human condition, which influenced feminist thought on the complexity and fluidity of gender roles.

A foundational text in feminist philosophy, 'The Second Sex' challenges the notion of women as 'Other' and discusses the ways in which society constructs female identity, contributing greatly to the development of gender studies.

Beauvoir explored the economic and social implications of women's labor, especially in her analysis of housework, marriage, and childbirth, as forms of oppression, shaping feminist discourse on women's work and exploitation.

Beauvoir's discussions on lesbianism were some of the first to examine it from a feminist viewpoint, noting the societal challenges faced by lesbians and the defiance of heteronormative standards.

In her later work, Beauvoir focused on age and its intersection with gender, asserting that aging presents a particular set of challenges for women due to societal devaluation, thereby extending feminist analysis to include ageism.

Described in Beauvoir's existentialism, the 'Serious Man' is someone who denies freedom by submitting to external values. Her critique of this concept urges feminists to reject externally defined roles and to embrace individual freedom.