Hunting was not solely a man's arena in prehistoric times, women did it too, study suggests

Expect our society to perpetuate gender norms! In fact, we didn't even spare prehistoric times and assumed that men took on the more powerful roles that required excessive physical strength.

In a recent study, the years-long belief that in prehistoric times men were the hunters and women played the gatherers has been challenged.

The research, led by anthropology professor at the University of Delaware Sarah Lacy, suggests that women did not have the physical capability to hunt but likely took part in it.

Study focuses on Paleolithic era

The study's focus was on the Paleolithic era, which spans from around 2.5 million to 12,000 years ago. During the study, very little evidence was found by the researchers which suggested that the roles of men and women were rigidly defined by gender.

Professor Lacy, who has specialised in the health of early humans, entered into a collaboration with Cara Ocobock from the University of Notre Dame, who has been drawing connections between the fossil record and modern-day physiology.

While carrying out the study, the researchers saw scope for challenging the long-held belief regarding gendered division of labour. The researchers questioned why the “cavemen hunt, women gather” theory was accepted so widely. “We have so much evidence that that’s not the case,” Lacy stated while speaking to earth.com

Gender equality in prehistoric times?

A striking image of gender equality was revealed to the researchers while reviewing ancient tools, diets, art, burials, and anatomy.

“People found things in the past and they just automatically gendered them male and didn’t acknowledge the fact that everyone we found in the past has these markers, whether in their bones or in stone tools that are being placed in their burials,” stated Professor Lacy.

“We can’t really tell who made what, right? We can’t say, ‘Oh, only males flintknap,’ because there’s no signature left on the stone tool that tells us who made it,” she added.

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Lacy further stated that from the evidence collected so far, there seems to be nearly no difference in the roles assigned to the two genders.

The research further addressed another question, that of whether any physiological barriers prevented women from going hunting.

“When we take a deeper look at the anatomy and the modern physiology and then actually look at the skeletal remains of ancient people, there’s no difference in trauma patterns between males and females, because they’re doing the same activities,” stated Lacy.

In the Paleolithic era, most people survived in small groups. “You live in such a small society. You have to be really, really flexible. Everyone has to be able to pick up any role at any time. It just seems like the obvious thing, but people weren’t taking it that way,” she added.

(With inputs from agencies)

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