Simone De Beauvoir’s “The Second Sex.”

When a woman marries she usually takes her husband’s name.

We still describe all of us as men, man, mankind, brotherhood, fellowship…

And we are still more likely to use “he” than “she” when describing a person with no specific referent.

Usually, men come first, too: Men and women, boys and girls, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, guys and gals, guys and dolls…  Read the rest of this entry →