In hunter-gatherer societies, where livelihoods are based on hunting or gathering wild animals rather than agriculture, the idea that there is a gender-based division of roles is deeply rooted, with men traditionally responsible for hunting and the women responsible for the hunt. of gathering. However, a study that examined more than 60 hunting and gathering societies that have survived into modern times found that women also participate in hunting in 80 percent of the societies.
For many years, anthropologists and archaeologists have believed that human society has had a division of labor between men and women since ancient times. However, recently, one after another cases of women among the ancient fishermen and warriors have been reported, breaking down the stereotype that hunters are men and gatherers are women.
A new research team from Seattle Pacific University in the US has analyzed the division of labor between men and women in hunting and gathering by examining literature from the last 100 years on 63 hunting and gathering societies that have survived into modern times across the North and South America. Africa, Australia, Asia and Oceania.
The research team analyzed documents living with these groups and studied their behavior by observing people and recording their behavior. It was found that 79% of surveyed hunting and gathering societies had female hunters and that this role did not change even after women became parents. Furthermore, in hunting conducted by women, not only do they kill animals when they have the chance, but over 70% of them intentionally hunt for the purpose of obtaining meat. In societies where hunting is the main source of food, women also engage in 100% hunting.
Among them, it was confirmed that a mother took her child hunting. The research team emphasizes that the idea that women cannot hunt because it interferes with child-rearing is incorrect. Women in hunting and gathering societies around the world have historically participated in hunting regardless of childbirth, and they say they continue to do so today.
The research team said that there was no clear taboo for women to go out with various tools and kill animals they saw, and that everyone in the community knew that women went hunting and that this was their job. Meanwhile, even within the same community, it has been confirmed that male and female hunters have different tools, hunting methods and hunting animals. In the hunting and gathering society called Aguta in the Philippines, men are said to have hunted mainly with bows, while women often used not only bows but also knives. It is also said that while men hunt in groups of one or two, women often hunt in larger groups.
According to the research team, the stereotype that men are hunters and women are gatherers has been reinforced by published books. He said that if hunting animals leads to the growth of one’s community, it makes no sense for women to ignore it, and that such a rigid division of roles makes no sense. Related information can be found here.
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