Gender nonconformity in work leads women to reject heterosexuality as a draining performance

Evidence

But this arrangement between her active personality and her role as passive female is nevertheless more difficult for her than for man; rather than wear themselves out in this effort, many women will give up trying. There are numerous lesbians among women artists and writers. It is not because their sexual specificity is the source of creative energy or a manifestation of the existence of this superior energy; it is rather that being absorbed in serious work, they do not intend to waste their time playing the woman’s role or struggling against men. Not admitting male superiority, they do not wish to pretend to accept it or tire themselves contesting it; they seek release, peace, and diversion in sexual pleasure: they could spend their time more profitably without a partner who acts like an adversary; and so they free themselves from the chains attached to femininity. — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1042

Categorization

• XREF: Directly extends Beauvoir’s core ‘woman as Other’ thesis — the active/passive split that defines femininity as performance. Echoes the Sartrean bad-faith frame from her Introduction. — connects to: Implicit chivalric romantic ideals reduce women’s career and income ambitions — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 771; Rejecting femininity cannot yield neutrality; every rejection enacts a positive position — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1921; Women self-select away from the highest-reward positions, sustaining gender hegemony — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice: Fifty Years…, 767 (+3 more)
• SEED: Could anchor an essay arguing the correlation between ‘serious creative work’ and female homosexuality is an economic/institutional choice, not an essentialist drive — directly challenging the old ‘lesbian artist’ stereotype.

Broader Connections

• Implicit romantic beliefs predict reduced career ambition in women. #corroborates (0.85)
• Autonomy-seeking women often remain heterosexual rather than lesbian #expands (0.80) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1041
• Implicit chivalric romantic ideals reduce women’s career and income ambitions #complicates (0.75) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 771
• Implicit but not explicit beliefs reveal two benevolent barriers to gender equity. #qualifies (0.75)
• Rejecting femininity cannot yield neutrality; every rejection enacts a positive position #expands (0.72) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1921
• Women self-select away from the highest-reward positions, sustaining gender hegemony #complicates (0.72) — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 767