The Economic Thought of Simone De Beauvoir in the Second Sex

Abstract

Feminist thinker Simon de Beauvoir's 1949 book is studied, in order to see what in­ sights it may yield and how she may have anticipated modern "feminist economics." Among her contributions is a discussion of the gender wage gap, which is linked to the famous "double shift" (the need for many women to work a full day in the market and then put in nearly as many hours in domestic production). De Beauvoir also appears to have anticipated the modem concept of the "glass ceiling" (an invisible barrier that prevents women for attaining the top position in an organization). De Beauvoir also discusses the marriage "market." In short, it is surprising (at least to this analyst) how much de Beauvoir's discussion anticipates some of the insights of current-day economics of gender.