Immanence vs. Transcendence
De Beauvoir uses “immanence” to describe the historic
domain assigned to women: a closed-off realm where women are interior, passive,
static, and immersed in themselves. “Transcendence” designates the
opposing male lot: active, creative, productive, powerful, extending
outward into the external universe. Every human life should permit
the interplay of these two forces, immanence and transcendence,
but throughout history, man has denied woman the transcendent role.
In her stage-by-stage description of woman’s “situation,” de Beauvoir
shows how women are forced to relinquish their existential right
to transcendence and accept a circumscribed, repetitive imprisonment.
There is no escape for them except through man, and even this is
a dead-end. Man has projects, activities, accomplishments; woman
just has man.
Nature vs. Nurture
De Beauvoir believes that woman’s inferiority in society
is a result not of natural differences but of differences in the
upbringing of man and woman. Male domination is not inherent or
fated but conditioned at every stage of development. De Beauvoir
says that “Man learns his power.” By the same token, woman is not
born passive, mediocre, or immanent. Rather, she is socialized to
believe that proper women must embody these characteristics and,
subtly and not subtly, she is conditioned to believe that denying
her true self is the only way to achieve happiness and gain acceptance.
To bring about substantial changes in society, young boys and girls
must be educated differently from the outset. Since they are born
equal, the possibility exists of their being equal in adulthood
as well as in childhood—but it is up to society to change its skewed
perspectives.
Production vs. Reproduction
Women are both treasured and reviled for their reproductive
function, and de Beauvoir explains that one of the central problems
of the female situation is the difficulty of reconciling woman’s
reproductive capacity with her productive capacity. Her productive capacity
includes her ability to participate in labor or otherwise contribute
to the economy of her society. On closer inspection, de Beauvoir
finds that reproduction and production are not mutually exclusive.
A woman’s reproductive capacity should not stop her from fulfilling
a position in society beyond the home. Woman is neither exclusively
a worker nor exclusively a womb.
Throughout history, woman has been enslaved to her reproductive
function. Her life to the present has been an uninterrupted succession
of pregnancies, and her contributions to society have been restricted
to her womb. Technology has failed to incorporate woman into the
workplace, for she must still juggle the burdens of childbearing
and childrearing unassisted, an impossible task for even the most
energetic mothers. For woman to achieve more than liberation and
enter the workplace as man’s equal, the nuclear family must be reconfigured
so that she is able to leave the home. Social stigmas against unwed
mothers and abortion must be lifted to allow woman to take charge
of her own pregnancies and control her own life. Though it is important
for woman to be permitted to participate in work, it is more important
for her to be integrated into the “totality of human reality” to
become a true partner to man.
