The second sex

Summary
The author clearly has a very strong feminist sentiment as a result of the historical degradation of the female sex. She recalls throughout her paper how women have been considered inferior since very ancient times, and how even the greatest philosophers of all times considered women "imperfect." She talks about a variety of cultural contexts that share the same perception for women, in general and protests against this tendency for gender inequality. She also compares women's degradation to racial discrimination as with Jews and black people. But her general argument suggests the importance of considering everyone as a human being, regardless of their sex, ethnicity or religious preference.

Reaction
I think it is an interesting paper since she puts together historical evidence of the sublevation of women. She has some very interesting points and her reaction is clearly a response to the historical tendency of machismo in many cultures around the world. In my opinion, many of her points are very valid, especially when she relates this subject to the american society. Her call for equality represents a very valid point that should be considered by many cultures that still preserve this kind of ancient mentality.

Reflection
I agree with the author in many ways, since I consider every human being in the same way regardless of his/her sex, race, sexual orientation, political tendencies or religious preferences. Especially in my culture, women are very important and they are treated in a very special way. I think this machismo movement belongs to ancient periods where human beings were ignorant about many issues. But women themselves have been in charge of showing the world that they are as capable and even more capable than men in certain aspects.

Questions
1. Are there still any evidences of machismo in the modern american culture?
2. What did you consider the most interesting thing in this paper?
3. Do you consider her views accurate or is she being a little bit extremist?
4. From experiences in other cultures, how does the perception of women vary across them?