Simone De Beauvoir

Many of the thoughts that men have about women are myths. In the reading Simone De Beauvoir explains many myths about women. The reality is that women and men are equal human beings. For so long they have been separated into two categories. Men were put in superiority and women inferiority. This separation has brought men many benefits. They have more power and are able to control women. One of the myths that she talks about says that women are mysterious. Men do not understand women, because they are not women. This applies for women also. They cannot fully understand men either. These myths about women justify the privileges of men, and give them authority to abuse women.
Beauvoir believes that the only way to break the bondage that has been holding women down for so long is to forget about these myths. She says that the times that women were treasured were when men have regarded women as true creatures, and when women were seen as truly romantic, and in literature when the heroines were without mystery.
She stated that men are willing to accept women as equals, but they still treat her as if she is unimportant. This is present in today’s society. Women are given the same opportunities as men most of the time, but women are still looked at as unimportant. The workforce is a good example. A woman may have gotten the same education as a man, but her ideas may be looked over, because she is a woman. This is something our society needs to work on.