Over time women have gained more rights and power in America. This can be seen from the 19th Amendment, which allowed women to vote, the Equal Pay Act, which prohibits pay discrimination between men and women, and now the first female Vice President of the United States will take office (History.com Editors). The equalization of women and men is a real-life example of what Simone de Beauvoir wrote in “The Second Sex,” in that the men and women are beginning to “realize the reciprocity of their relations” (Simone de Beauvoir). The example of a reciprocal relationship that Simone de Beauvoir used in her writing is a native person being seen as a “stranger” to other native people from different lands. Over time both of these natives and their people realize, or understand, their relationship through “wars, festivals, trading, treaties, and contests among tribes, nations,  and classes” (Simone de Beauvoir). The relationship that women have been striving for is one of equality, and this is the relationship that men have to learn, respect, and understand. 

Although men and women have been successfully realizing their relationship of equality in the United States over time, there is still inequality between them, which can be seen in the wage gap. Typically, the wage gap has attempted to be explained by discrimination against women or the career choices of women (Madison Sosa, Page 5). In the study by Madison Sosa, the conclusion is drawn that it is most likely a mixture of both discrimination and career choice that have led to the gap in wage between men and women (Madison Sosa, Page 28). This study is important to keep in mind because it shows that men and women have not completely realized their relationship as equals. Although there have been significant steps towards equality, men remain “the one” and women remain “the others” (Simone de Beauvoir). 

Works Cited 

Beauvoir, Simone de. The Second Sex / Simone De Beauvoir. Vintage Books, 1974.  

History.com Editors. “Women’s History Milestones: A Timeline.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 26 Feb. 2019, www.history.com/topics/womens-history/womens-history-us-timeline.  

Sosa, Madison. “Gender Pay Gap Analysis.” Electronic Thesis or Dissertation. University of  Toledo, 2018. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. 15 Jan 2021.