Key Idea: De Beauvoir asks why woman has been defined as the Other — the second sex — measured against man as the norm. Her central claim: femininity is not fixed by biology but shaped by society, captured in the line 'one is not born, but becomes, a woman'. This text is assessed on Paper 2, a 25-mark open-book essay on the studied text. You study Volume 1 part 1, and Volume 2 parts 1 and 4 only — not the whole work.
🧠 The five moves, one card each
10.11 (studied sections) at a glance
- 10.11.1 · Woman as the Other — We ask what a woman is, but not what a man is — man is treated as the neutral norm, woman as a deviation. Using the Self/Other distinction, de Beauvoir argues woman has been fixed as the Other: the 'second' sex.
- 10.11.2 · 'One is not born, but becomes, a woman' — The book's most famous line. Being biologically female is not the same as being 'a woman': femininity is a social role built up through upbringing, expectation and culture, not read off the body.
- 10.11.3 · Immanence vs transcendence — Transcendence = reaching out, making projects, shaping the world; immanence = staying put, repeating, being confined to the given. De Beauvoir argues women have been pushed into immanence rather than choosing it.
- 10.11.4 · The myths of femininity — Culture builds an ideal 'Woman' (capital W) out of contradictory images — pure and dangerous, nurturing and destructive. These myths flatter and trap real women, who can never match an impossible, invented ideal.
- 10.11.5 · Situation and liberation — Women are free beings, but always within a SITUATION that limits them. Real liberation therefore needs the situation itself — its structures and roles — to change, not just individual effort or good intentions.
'One is not born, but becomes, a woman.' Being female is a biological fact; being 'a woman' is a social role built by upbringing, myth and expectation. Once you separate the two, the Other, immanence, the myths and the case for changing women's situation all follow.
✍️ Bring it together — a Paper 2 question
Evaluate de Beauvoir's claim that 'one is not born, but becomes, a woman'.
🔒 Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Using your text in the open-book exam
- Bring a CLEAN copy — IB rule: your text must be UN-annotated — no notes in the margins, no underlining or highlighting. A marked-up copy is not allowed in the exam. Check it well before the day.
- Know the map — You have the book, but not time to read it — and only Volume 1 part 1 and Volume 2 parts 1 and 4 are examined. Memorise WHERE each argument lives (the Other in Vol 1; 'becomes a woman', immanence and the myths in Vol 2 part 1; liberation in Vol 2 part 4). Keep your study notes in a SEPARATE document.
- Quote to evidence, then EVALUATE — Use the open book to cite a line precisely so it backs a specific point — then argue about it. Never let a quotation replace your own analysis; a copied passage with no evaluation earns little.
- Plan then write — A quick argument map — position, support, objection, weighing, conclusion — beats flipping pages mid-essay. Decide your line first, then dip into the text for evidence. Watch the clock.
Important: Retelling the book instead of evaluating it. Summarising de Beauvoir's argument, or arguing about gender in general, is not an answer to 'Evaluate'. You must weigh the claim from the text — strongest support, strongest objection, then a reasoned decision — handling the issue seriously and fairly. The open book also punishes inaccurate use of the text and straying outside the studied sections: cite precisely and stay within Volume 1 part 1 and Volume 2 parts 1 and 4.
✅ Check yourself
If you can answer these six, you have the spine of the studied sections.
What does 'woman as the Other' mean? Man is treated as the neutral human norm and woman is defined against him as the secondary, deviant case — the second sex.
What is the famous line, and what does it mean? 'One is not born, but becomes, a woman': being female is biological, but being 'a woman' is a social role built by culture.
Immanence vs transcendence? Immanence = staying put, repeating, confined to the given; transcendence = reaching out and making projects. Women are pushed into immanence.
What are the 'myths of femininity'? An idealised 'Woman' (capital W) made of contradictory images that flatters and traps real women in an impossible ideal.
What does genuine liberation require? Changing the SITUATION itself — its structures and roles — not just individual effort, since women are free but situated.
Does she deny that bodies matter? No. She denies biology fixes the social role; on her view the body matters as it is lived within a situation.
Exam Tips
- Paper 2 is a 25-mark OPEN-BOOK essay on this text — and only Vol 1 part 1 and Vol 2 parts 1 and 4 are examined, so keep every point inside them.
- Bring a clean, un-annotated copy and know where each argument sits so you can cite fast.
- Quote precisely to evidence a point, then argue about it — never let the text speak for you.
- Handle the issue seriously and fairly, weigh both sides, and end on a reasoned conclusion, not a summary.