The Second Sex

Here, Beauvoir presents her overview of human history and explains how it may explain the oppression of women. She begins by noting, “This world has always belonged to males, and none of the reasons for this have ever seemed sufficient” (71). Then, Beauvoir connects the analysis of women and reproductive biology discussed in the previous part to her discussion of early history. At the dawn of civilization, Beauvoir writes, “with the invention of the tool, maintenance of life became activity and project for man, while motherhood left women riveted to her body like the animal” (75).

Although ancient sources record stories of women like the Amazons who fought alongside men as equals, Beauvoir argues that even in these myths women were restrained by their reproductive biology. For example, ancient sources claim that the Amazons had to cut off one of their breasts to be more effective at using bows. Like Beauvoir argued in Volume I, Part 1, Chapter 1, women are still not defined entirely by their biology. However, she argues that while women were held back by pregnancy and childbirth, men were free to forge and shape early civilization. For Beauvoir, this is a major reason why women became