A Woman’s Role: Prehistoric and Beyond

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Though not much is known about pre-historic man or woman, I have to guess that the struggle to stay alive alone must have taken all of early man’s time both day and night. Based on this thought, it is hard for me to imagine how roles outside the main task of staying alive would have been divided by gender. Women and men both probably foraged for edible foods and probably hunted together in pairs I would guess. Since groups were small I imagine roles were shared equally. As the groups became larger, more organized and more advanced in agriculture, gender roles probably became more prominent. In early times, a woman’s primary role became childbearing and keeping the home environment, whether it be in a cave, mud hut or other structure.

Like today’s women, they were probably weaker physically than men. This, more than likely was the beginning of the division of roles. Women stayed close to their encampment, growing food, bearing and raising children while men hunted. “Despite the enormous gains women have made in the past few decades, one suspects that many men— and women— look at the long, unbroken history of male dominance and privately still harbor the suspicion (or firmly hold the conviction) that women are biologically inferior.” (2000, McElvaine, Robert S.; Eve's Seed : Biology, the Sexes, and the Course of Human History, p. 10 McGraw-Hill; Retrieved from: http://site.ebrary.com/lib/ashford/Doc?id=10152855)

In today’s world, gender roles still exist, and there is much controversy regarding the topic. I believe how gender roles are viewed is partly what determines how advanced a society of people has become. Even though today’s modern women have advanced somewhat from their roles prior to 1500, more advancement is needed fo...

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... the global post volume one: to 1500 (1st ed.) New York : McGraw Hill.

2.) McElvaine, Robert S., (2000). Eve's Seed : Biology, the Sexes, and the Course of Human History. McGraw-Hill Trade

3.) Putzi, Sibylla, (2008) A to Z World Women in Culture and Business : 175 Countries : Position in Society, Legal Rights, Education, Dating, Marriage, and Family, Health, Social Customs, Women in Professions, Women as Business Owners, and Foreign Businesswomen. World Trade Press.

4.) Ancient Mesopotamia: The Role of Women. Retrieved from: http://oi.uchicago.edu/OI/MUS/ED/TRC/MESO/women.html

5.) http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/essays/comp/c2wommenna.htm)

6.) http://www.localhistories.org/chineselife.html

7.) http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/femaleinfanticide.html

8.) http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jun/30/india-city-widows-discrimination

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