Simone de Beauvoir’s upbringing in a privileged family, with a strong emphasis on education, fostered her critical perspective on gender roles. Her relationship with her mother was complex; while her mother was progressive, she also adhered to traditional expectations. This clash of ideals influenced Simone’s later writings, particularly "The Second Sex," where she interrogates the social constructs surrounding womanhood. Her experiences in the male-dominated society of early 20th-century France led her to advocate for female liberation and existentialism, emphasizing that one is not born a woman, but becomes one.