Historical Influence

This might not be a religious story, but when we bring in Weber's examination of Protestant ethics and the role in which a "calling" had within society, we get a better sense of how women could've been influenced to take on a subordinate/ "other" role. The whole idea of a "calling" was that each individual had an a specific role in which they dedicated their entire lives to, in the belief that it was for god and their own morality. This is only an assumption, but there is a possibility that while the "calling" of men resulted in them working outside of the home, the "calling" of women resulted in them taking on a subordinate/"other" role such as staying at home or anything else that would be most beneficial to men. For example, we have continuously heard and history has shown that many people believe that the role or "calling" of the men is to be the breadwinner, while the role of the women is to be the caretaker. Just like how Weber concluded that these Protestant ideologies resulted in the priming of society to become capitalistic, it could have also primed society to believe in this subject/object role between men and women. In essence, this religious concept of a "calling" could have resulted in this subordinate/ "other" role in which de Beauvoir has extensively documented.

In addition to the so called "calling" Weber's theory on legitimate domination also helps to explain this. Weber talks about how over time, continued domination of men over women create social norms that form the structures in society. These social norms lead to inequality as well as the view that men should work while women should stay at home. As well as this, the group that is in power will want to remain in power and keep the existing social structures. The men will want to maintain their privilege in a capitalistic society and deny others from joining the group of power. This will lead to continued inequality and the "other-ing" of women.