SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR: BECOMING A WOMAN.

This article examines Simone de Beauvoir’s feminist philosophy, focusing on her assertion that “one is not born, but rather becomes, a woman,” which frames womanhood as a social and cultural construct rather than a biological destiny. It outlines Beauvoir’s rejection of biological, psychoanalytical, and economic determinism in defining femininity, emphasizing how women are socially positioned as the “Other” in relation to men, limiting their autonomy and subjectivity. The article further situates Beauvoir’s theory within the framework of intersectionality—a concept developed by Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw—which highlights how gendered experiences of oppression vary according to intersecting identities such as race, class, and sexuality. By integrating intersectionality, the article argues that the process of “becoming a woman” is diverse and context-dependent, suggesting that strategies for women’s liberation must address multiple, overlapping systems of power rather than a singular universal experience. [Extracted from the article]