The Second Sex
The Second Sex () is a 1949 book by the French existentialist 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 it in two volumes, "Facts and Myths" and "Lived Experience" ("Les faits et les mythes" and "L'expérience vécue" in French). Some chapters first appeared in "Les Temps modernes". One of Beauvoir's best-known books, "The Second Sex" is often regarded as a major work of feminist philosophy and the starting point of second-wave feminism.