女性成长过程的最大困境：逆流而上还是顺流而下

摘自《第二性》原文
男人的幸运—在成年时和小时候—就在于别人迫使他踏上最艰苦但也最可靠的道路。女人的不幸就在于她们总是被几乎不可抗拒的诱惑包围着，一切都促使她走上容易走的斜坡，人们非但不鼓励她奋斗，反而对她说，她只要听之任之滑下去，就会到达极乐的天堂；当她发觉受到海市蜃楼的欺骗时，为时已晚；她的力量在失败的冒险中已经消耗殆尽。


It is man’s luck—in adulthood as in childhood—to be made to take the most arduous roads but the surest ones; Woman’s misfortune is that she is surrounded by nearly irresistible temptations; everything incites her to take the easy way out: instead of being encouraged to fight on her own account, she is told that she can let herself get by and she will reach enchanted paradises; when she realizes she was fooled by a mirage, it is too late; she has been worn out in this adventure.