Women in History · Head-to-head
Simone de Beauvoir vs Dorothy Hodgkin
Yes — based on their recorded years, Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986) and Dorothy Hodgkin (1910–1994) were alive at the same time for at least part of their lives.
Simone de Beauvoir
Simone de Beauvoir was a French philosopher and writer whose 1949 book 'The Second Sex' became a foundational text of modern feminist theory.
Key achievements
- Published 'The Second Sex' in 1949, a foundational work of feminist philosophy.
- Developed influential existentialist theories on freedom, identity, and social construction of gender.
- Wrote extensively across memoir, fiction, and philosophy throughout her career.
- Became a leading public intellectual in postwar France alongside Jean-Paul Sartre.
Fast fact
De Beauvoir maintained a lifelong intellectual and personal partnership with philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, though the two never married and each pursued independent relationships.
Full profile of Simone de Beauvoir →Dorothy Hodgkin
Dorothy Hodgkin was an English chemist who advanced X-ray crystallography techniques to determine the structure of complex biomolecules, becoming the only British woman scientist to win a Nobel Prize.
Key achievements
- Advanced X-ray crystallography techniques for determining biomolecular structures.
- Determined the structure of penicillin and vitamin B12.
- Won the 1964 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
- Remains the only British woman scientist to have won a Nobel Prize.
Fast fact
Hodgkin's work determining the structure of insulin, which she pursued for over three decades, was finally completed in 1969, capping a career that had already earned her the 1964 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Full profile of Dorothy Hodgkin →Who lived first, Simone de Beauvoir or Dorothy Hodgkin?
Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986) lived first, before Dorothy Hodgkin (1910–1994), based on their recorded years.
Were Simone de Beauvoir and Dorothy Hodgkin contemporaries?
Yes — based on their recorded years, Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986) and Dorothy Hodgkin (1910–1994) were alive at the same time for at least part of their lives.
What do Simone de Beauvoir and Dorothy Hodgkin have in common?
Both Simone de Beauvoir and Dorothy Hodgkin are grouped among our Women in History figures and lived during the Modern Era.