She was awarded the 1954 Prix Goncourt, the 1975 Jerusalem Prize, and the 1978 Austrian State Prize for European Literature.
She is best known for her contributions to feminist theory and feminist existentialism through her 1949 treatise
The Second Sex, which is a detailed analysis of women's oppression and is now considered a foundational tract of contemporary feminism. She is also known for her novels, including
She Came To Stay and
The Mandarins, and her memoirs, notably the first volume, “Mémoires d’une jeune fille rangée” (1958).