Ethics Of Care

Ethics Of Care

The quote from The Second Sex by Simone De Beauvoir, “This means that I am interested in the fortunes of the individual as defined not in terms of happiness but in terms of liberty,” is a strong insight to her writings with a female perspective. Just like in her book, The Ethics of Ambiguity, she expresses how women are treated by men and society as a whole, yet at the same time, how women are content with this treatment.  
She expresses the view of liberty is to have the ability to be self-determining and free even if that means to be without happiness. It is normal for humans to think of things or groups as opposites and pointing out the differences in one another. When applying this concept to genders, it is the woman that is defined as the “other.”   Throughout history and in many cultures, it has been taught that women are derived from men. Even in the Bible story of Adam and Eve, God created Adam and from Adam’s rib, Eve was created, which builds and reinforces the societies’ view of women being the “second sex.” Women are shaped from men, just like the word “woman” comes from the word “man”, and in Hebrew “ishah” (the word for woman) comes from the word “ah” (which means man).
Relating to the other readings in class, Wollstonecraft brought up similar points; one poignant viewpoint is that a woman is like a bird in a cage. A woman is locked from the freedom in the world around her and a man is able to do whatever he pleases with his rights. Like a bird in a cage, the cage and owner protects the bird from the world around it, the same as a woman being protected by her husband.   The bird or the woman in this case, is being taking care of and pampered, which most women enjoy.
Beauvoir describes in (Personal Freedom and Others) The Ethics of Ambiguity that women are like children. Children do not have responsibilities and are dependent on their parents to fend for and take care of them. The situation of children and women, they...