Publication of The Second Sex

The Second Sex is a work by the French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir, a founding text of modern feminism. She argues from an existentialist viewpoint that women have been defined throughout history as the Other in relation to men, and that femininity is shaped by society, not by biology. The book examines women's lives through history, myth, literature, biology and psychology, covering topics such as marriage, motherhood and sexuality, which shocked many readers at the time. It was condemned by the Vatican and attacked in the press, yet it sold widely. Its ideas influenced the women's liberation movement of the 1960s and 1970s and later debates on gender.

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