New research challenges the long-held belief that in foraging societies, only men hunt and women gather. A study analyzing data from 63 global foraging societies reveals that women actively participate in hunting in 79% of these societies, employing diverse strategies and even teaching hunting practices.
The study, led by Abigail Anderson from Seattle Pacific University in the US, analyzed data from foraging societies around the world and urges a reassessment of gender roles in historical and present-day foraging cultures. The findings highlight the need to avoid bias in archaeological interpretations.
Traditionally, it has been believed that men were the main hunters in foraging populations, while women focused on gathering plant products for food. However, archaeological evidence from various periods challenges this notion. Women have been found buried alongside big-game hunting tools, suggesting their involvement in hunting activities.
Some researchers have suggested that women’s role as hunters was limited to the past, with more recent foraging societies conforming to the stereotype of men as hunters and women as gatherers. To investigate this possibility, Anderson and her colleagues analyzed data from the past 100 years on 63 foraging societies across different regions.
Their analysis revealed that women hunt in 79% of the societies studied, regardless of whether they are mothers or not. Moreover, intentional hunting by women appears to target game of all sizes, especially large game. This challenges the idea that women only opportunistically kill animals encountered during other activities.
Interestingly, the research also found that women are actively involved in teaching hunting practices and often utilize a wider range of weapon choices and hunting strategies compared to men.
These findings present a paradigm shift, highlighting the significant role women play in hunting in many foraging societies. The study underscores how biases about gender roles have influenced archaeological interpretations, as some previous researchers were hesitant to interpret objects buried with women as hunting tools. The authors stress the importance of reevaluating such evidence and caution against misapplying the idea of men as hunters and women as gatherers in future research.
The authors conclude, “Evidence from around the world shows that women participate in subsistence hunting in the majority of cultures.”
The study, titled “The Myth of Man the Hunter: Women’s contribution to the hunt across ethnographic contexts,” was published in the journal PLOS ONE on June 28, 2023.
Reference: “The Myth of Man the Hunter: Women’s contribution to the hunt across ethnographic contexts” by Abigail Anderson, Sophia Chilczuk, Kaylie Nelson, Roxanne Ruther and Cara Wall-Scheffler, 28 June 2023, PLOS ONE.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287101