In
the conclusion of The Second Sex,
Beauvoir posits that society perpetuates women’s inferiority through its acceptance
of and indoctrination of inequality. She concludes that all other factors, such
as psychology, economics, and biology, are irrelevant because “Woman is taught
to assume her condition” (279). Since Beauvoir claims that “Woman is defined…by
the way she grasps…her body and her relation to the world,” society’s unjust
education will forever put women in this inferior position, though society
seems oblivious to the fact that women’s position is not at all their fault (761).
Educators, both men and women, would cease normal gender roles education once
they realize it causes “neither men nor women [to be] satisfied with each other
today” (753). Beauvoir illuminates society’s vicious cycle in which women will
be forever be the Other and both
sexes will be forever discontent with each other. She claims that this “conflict
will last as long as men and women do not recognize each other as peers,”
which, at the end, represents the need to dismantle the current mode of
education in which females are taught to be in service through drinks,
sandwiches, and babies under men (755). Beauvoir describes the perfect solution
in which both children, regardless of sex, learn through “a coherent sexual
education” so that they view the world as an androgynous one (761, 762). When
children grow under equal education, girls will not fear their adulthood, nor
will boys look forward to unfair privilege. Once both men and women achieve
reciprocity in their relationship, “the slavery of half of humanity is
abolished,” producing a world in which twice as many humans can pursue their
full potential. Each sex would have equal opportunity to contribute to the
world’s collection of ideas and knowledge which would grow at twice the speed.
The only problem, as Beauvoir argues, is education. Hopefully the majority of
women college students tears down years of indoctrinated bigotry that has led
to the enslavement of half the human race.
A quotation that Eric's post made me think of was "if one encourages a child to be lazy by entertaining him all day, without giving him the occasion to study...no one will say when he reaches the age of man that he chose to be incapable and ignorant; this is how the woman is raised" (757). This quotation points out the inequality between men and women, but also reasserts that education is a key inequality between the sexes. De Beauvoir shows that women are seen as incapable only because, unlike men, they aren't given the chance to obtain knowledge.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to Eric's point, Simone de Beauvoir states that "One is not born, but rather becomes, woman" 283. Beauvoir says that how woman is defined is the product of what society says she is. Changing how the sexes are portrayed in youth education is entirely possible, because it is society, not nature that shapes what woman is.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Anker's point, woman is completely shaped by society - except for that shaping that has been impressed upon them by virtue of their biology. Even with a truly androgynous education, men will always tend to be more muscular, and women will tend to hit puberty earlier. While much of traditional gender roles is erased by this suggested equal education, biological differences must be considered as an insurmountable hindrance to full equality. If we were equal biologically, there would be no "second sex". There would only be one.
ReplyDeleteThe only problem I have with de Beauvoir's points on education is that she gives no methods by which to achieve her lofty goals. I think her argument could have been greatly strengthened if she had given examples of how the contemporary French or American education systems could have been reformed to promote gender equality. While I like many of her ideas I am off put by de Beauvoir's lack of concrete methods of how to attain equality. she has alot of good criticism and some good analysis but her work lacks a constructive element.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is faulty of de Beauvoir to claim that there needs to be education, yet provide no solution. However, I believe the point of her argument is for people to recognize that there needs to be equal educational opportunities, not necessarily how to achieve that.
ReplyDelete