Simone de Beauvoir’s feminism was heavily informed by existentialist ethics. Within this frame of thought, good and evil are expressed in human beings’ transcendence and “immanence,” respectively. Human existence can only be justified via continually expanding into the future by engaging in freely chosen projects—i.e., transcendence. Transcendence is thus a general goal for human beings, while its opposite—immanence—is considered a degradation of existence, from “liberty into constraint.” Freely chosen, immanence is a moral fault, but when inflicted, it is described as “oppression.” In a social environment in which women are prevented from choosing and engaging in serious projects because of their status as women, their ability to transcend is systemically thwarted, so transcendence becomes a specifically feminist goal. De Beauvoir explains that women are viewed as intrinsically passive and immanent, in opposition to men who are meant to be active and transcendent.

In the society observed by de Beauvoir, “[women] live … attached through residence, housework, economic condition, and social standing to certain men—fathers or husbands …” It is specifically women who are attached to men—not men to women nor women and men to each other. As de Beauvoir notes, the nature of this relationship, overlapping the assumption that men are the active transcendent half of humanity, leaves women in a position of forced immanence.

Consider each of the answer choices separately and indicate all that apply.

According to the passage, Simone de Beauvoir believed which of the following?

A. In society, women are attached to men.
B. Women are intrinsically passive and immanent.
C. Self-constraint is worse than imposed constraint.

Consider each of the answer choices separately and indicate all that apply.

According to the passage, immanence is always

A. a moral fault
B. a degradation of existence
C. oppression



The passage could best be described as which of the following?

(A) An explanation of existentialist ethics and transcendence
(B) An explanation of feminist theory and female immanence
(C) A diatribe about immanence and a social injustice
(D) A description of a philosopher’s influences and framework
(E) An outline of social structure and conflicts