The Second Sex

The Second Sex (French: Le Deuxième Sexe) is a 1949 book by the French existentialist philosopher Simone de Beauvoir, in which the author discusses the treatment of women throughout history. Beauvoir researched and wrote the book in about 14 months between 1946 and 1949. She published the work in two volumes: Facts and Myths (Les faits et les mythes), and Lived Experience (L’expérience vécue). Some chapters first appeared in the journal Les Temps modernes. One of Beauvoir’s best-known books, The Second Sex is often regarded as a major work of feminist philosophy, and as the starting inspiration point of second-wave feminism.