The more individual the female, the more completely the species claims her

Evidence

It is noteworthy that the more the female becomes a separate individual, the more imperiously the living continuity is affirmed beyond any separation. The fish or the bird that expels the virgin ovum or the fertilized egg is less prey to its offspring than the female mammal. The female mammal recovers her autonomy after the birth of the young: a distance is thus established between her and them; and starting from this separation, she devotes herself to them; she takes care of them, showing initiative and invention; she fights to defend them against other animals and even becomes aggressive. But she does not usually seek to affirm her individuality; she does not oppose either males or females; she does not have a fighting instinct; in spite of Darwin’s assertions, disparaged today, the female in general accepts the male that presents himself. — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 94

Categorization

• XREF: The inversion parallel — more individuation, more subservience — resonates with the White Noise consumerist anxiety and with We’s collectivist paradox. — connects to: Female reproductive biology subordinates individual life to species demands — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 97

Broader Connections

• Female reproductive biology subordinates individual life to species demands #expands (0.92) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 97