Simone de Beauvoir's life experiences, particularly her existentialist upbringing and education, illuminated her views on gender and identity. Growing up in a bourgeois family, she challenged societal norms through her intellectual pursuits. Her relationship with philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre and their discussions on existentialism ignited her feminist outlook. Additionally, her observations of the oppression of women during her time led her to write "The Second Sex," critically examining the roles and representations of women in society, thus becoming a foundational text in feminist philosophy.