Women’s present situation results from ancient traditions surviving in new economic conditions

Evidence

What determines women’s present situation is the stubborn survival of the most ancient traditions in the new emerging civilization. Hasty observers are wrong to think woman is not up to the possibilities offered her today or even to see only dangerous temptations in these possibilities. The truth is that her situation is tenuous, which makes it very difficult for her to adapt. Factories, offices, and universities are open to women, but marriage is still considered a more honorable career, exempting her from any other participation in collective life. — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 297

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines ‘tenuous situation’ as the core concept: doors open formally while tradition still defines marriage as more honorable.
• XREF: connects to: Early agriculture’s low stakes kept women’s economic power intact and unthreatened; Pre-agricultural societies attributed to women a mystical power over fertility and crops — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 173; Woman is a historical situation, not an immutable essence — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 675 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Woman is a historical situation, not an immutable essence #expands (0.82) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 675
• Economic and social structures still subordinate women despite overturning the femininity myth #corroborates (0.78) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 675