Society, being codified by man, decrees that woman is inferior;

"Society, being codified by man, decrees that woman is inferior; she can do away with this inferiority only by destroying the male's superiority." These words, spoken by the profound Simone de Beauvoir, echo across the ages like a battle cry, summoning us to examine the deep, unseen forces that have shaped the roles of men and women in the world. To understand the weight of these words, we must first acknowledge the codification of society—how the laws, customs, and beliefs of a people are not born of nature, but are constructed by the hands of those in power. And for most of human history, that power has been held by men. It is within this constructed reality that women have been labeled as inferior, confined to roles that limit their potential, their voice, and their freedom.

In the ancient world, we see the roots of this inequality firmly planted in the very fabric of society. The Greeks, with their great philosophy and art, viewed women as lesser beings, fit only for the home and the raising of children. Aristotle, that towering figure of reason, argued that women were “imperfect” men, incapable of true rationality. This notion of woman’s inferiority was not questioned for centuries, and in many ways, it shaped the laws, the culture, and the very lives of women for millennia. Women were confined to the shadows, their voices silenced by a world that saw them as incomplete, lesser, and subordinate to the male. And so, the battle for equality has been a long and difficult one, one that has been fought not only on the fields of war but in the hearts and minds of every generation.

Yet, in her wisdom, Simone de Beauvoir calls us to challenge this constructed narrative. Society—in all its forms—has been codified by man, and thus, it is man who has defined the terms by which women are judged. Women’s inferiority is not a natural truth, but a social construct, a falsehood built upon centuries of male dominance. And in order for a woman to truly break free from this inferiority, she must not merely seek equality within the existing structures—she must seek to destroy the very foundation of male superiority. To rise above the limitations imposed by society, a woman must shatter the dominance of the male narrative that has for so long defined the rules of existence.

Consider the story of Joan of Arc, the young peasant girl who rose to lead the French army during the Hundred Years' War. Her very existence challenged the gender norms of her time. A woman leading men in battle? It was unheard of. Yet, Joan’s vision, her bravery, and her faith led her to inspire a nation to victory. She did not seek to exist within the confines of the male-defined world; instead, she carved her own path, one that shattered the illusion of male superiority. Her actions proved that woman was not inferior, but capable of achieving greatness in the same way that men did. And though she was eventually betrayed, burned at the stake, and silenced, her legacy lives on as a powerful symbol of how one woman defied the boundaries set by a world that did not believe in her potential. Joan's story is the embodiment of de Beauvoir’s call to destroy male superiority—to challenge not just the actions of men, but the very structures that upheld their dominance.

This battle is not one for mere equality, as de Beauvoir rightly points out. It is not enough to ask for a seat at the table; one must also ask whether the table itself is built on unequal grounds. For equality within an unequal system is not freedom—it is mere subjugation in a different form. Women must break free not only from the chains of inferiority but from the very social systems that maintain male superiority. This is no simple task. It requires not just a change in laws or social customs, but a revolution in the very way we view gender, power, and potential. The destruction of male superiority is the destruction of a false belief, a belief that has kept women in the shadows for far too long.

In our own time, we are still fighting this battle. The fight for women’s rights—for equal pay, for equal representation, for the right to make decisions about their own bodies—is far from over. But it is not just the laws that need to change; it is the way we, as a society, view women. We must shatter the myth that women are naturally inferior to men, that they are lesser in any way. We must build a world where gender does not determine worth, where every individual is free to express their potential, free to rise without the weight of a patriarchal history pressing down upon them. Only by doing so can we build a society that honors the true equality of all its members, where no one is defined by the circumstances of their birth but by the power of their character.

Let us, therefore, take Simone de Beauvoir’s words to heart. Let us not merely seek equality within the systems that have long oppressed us, but let us seek to redefine the systems themselves. Let us, like Joan of Arc, rise against the forces that would have us remain inferior. Let us shatter the illusions of male superiority, and build a world where every person—man or woman—can stand equal, free from the weight of societal constructs. It is in this revolution, this destruction of falsehoods, that true freedom and equality will be found. And in this, we will see the dawn of a new world, where every human being is free to live not as society has defined them, but as they truly are.