New Research Debunks Common Gendered Belief About Human Evolution

For decades, it has been widely accepted that early humans had a simplistic division of labour, with men as hunters and women as gatherers. This narrative, popularised in the book “Man the Hunter” by Richard Lee and Irven DeVore in 1968, argued that hunting played a crucial role in human evolution and was predominantly undertaken by men.

However, recent groundbreaking research is set to challenge this long-standing belief. A group of anthropologists from Washington and Seattle Pacific universities conducted an extensive analysis of 63 modern hunter-gatherer societies, including 14 in Australia, to gain insights into the structure of ancient human communities.

Their findings, published in Plos One, reveal that in the vast majority of these societies, women were engaged in both hunting and gathering, contradicting the traditional notion of a gendered division of labour. Astonishingly, women participated in hunting activities in 50 out of the 63 societies studied, accounting for a remarkable 79 percent.

The research uncovered evidence of female involvement in hunting across various continents, except Europe, where hunter-gatherer groups have not persisted for an extended period. The study also highlighted the diversity of hunting practices among different cultures, with some showing women and men utilising the same techniques and tools, while others demonstrated women employing a wider range of strategies than men.

Moreover, the analysis shed light on the types of animals hunted by women in 45 communities. While women primarily targeted small game in nearly half of the cases, they were also involved in hunting large game in 33 percent of the instances.

Regarding the impact of motherhood on women’s hunting activities, the research revealed two prevalent patterns: either children were cared for by others while mothers went on hunting expeditions, or women carried their children on their shoulders or backs during hunts. The researchers also drew attention to archaeological evidence, such as the discovery of burial sites of early human women alongside hunting weapons, further supporting the involvement of women in hunting.

Steven L Kuhn, an archaeologist specialising in ancient hunting, emphasised that the assumption of gendered labour in early human societies stemmed from biases prevalent in the 20th century. Many anthropologists conducted fieldwork primarily with men, leading to an overemphasis on men’s roles.

This new research challenges the conventional narrative, highlighting the significant role of women in hunting among early humans and providing a more nuanced understanding of our evolutionary past.