2009 marks the sixtieth anniversary of the publication of Simone de Beauvoir's ground-breaking book ‘The Second Sex' in which she asked the question ‘what is a woman?'. To celebrate International Women's Day 2009 and the anniversary of the book's publication, Scottish Women's Aid is asking what it means to be a woman in 2009.
Beauvoir drew on biology, history, philosophy and anthropology to conclude that during her own time, and previous to it, woman was ‘Other' to the normal male human being, the second sex, discriminated against, objectified, less valued. ‘Woman' she also decided is neither a fixed entity nor intrinsic to the female human being but created by society and is an identity that shifts with time and culture. In other words, in the words of the book's most famous line ‘one is not born, but rather becomes, a woman'.
The book inspired and motivated a generation to agitate for change. Indeed much has changed since Beauvoir wrote: anti-discrimination legislation has been passed, there are more career and education opportunities for woman etc. But much still needs to change: the pay gap still exists and women continue to experience violence in the form of domestic abuse, rape, trafficking in large numbers.
We plan to create an interactive ‘virtual exhibition' operated through our web-site, gathering answers from women all over Scotland. In order to do this we are approaching a range of high profile women asking for their response to this question. The responses will be collated and on International Women's Day their responses will be posted on our web-site. Members of the public are also invited to add their own comments and reflections. We would be enormously pleased if you were to feel able to support this by answering the question ‘what is a woman in 2009', providing a short quote, poem or doodle and if possible a photograph to go along with this. Send your reflections to contact@scottishwomensaid.org.uk or post them to Ellie Hutchinson, Scottish Women's Aid, 132 2nd Floor Rose Street, Edinburgh