Female foragers sometimes hunt, yet gendered divisions of labor are real: a comment on Anderson et al. (2023) The Myth of Man the Hunter

Evolution and Human Behavior Vol/Iss. N/A Elsevier Published In Pages: ??
By Venkataraman, Vivek V., Hoffman, Jordie, Farquharson, Kyle, Davis, Elizabeth H., Hagen, Edward H., Hames, Raymond B., Hewlett, Barry S., Glowacki, Luke , Jang, Haneul, Kelly, Robert L., Kramer, Karen L., Lew-Levy, Sheina, Starkweather, Katie, Syme, Kristen L., Stibbard-Hawkes, Duncan N.E.

Abstract

The authors critique Anderson et al. (2023) article, "The Myth of Man the Hunter: Women’s contribution to the hunt across ethnographic contexts." The latter article is an ethnographic study showing that women hunt in 79% of foraging societies in their sample. The aim was to demystify the idea that only men have had a role in hunting and to question the stereotypes of labor. Venkataraman et al. (2024) critiqued Anderson et al.'s statements, as empirical evidence shows the existence of gendered divisions among hunter-gatherers. To test its veracity, they reproduced the original study, finding sample selection bias and coding errors. Lastly, they agree with Anderson et al.'s intention to dispel the false notion that forager women are unable to hunt, but they emphasize the existence of gendered divisions of labor in the ethnographic record.

Note

There is an EHC entry on Anderson et al. (2023) article, "The Myth of Man the Hunter: Women’s contribution to the hunt across ethnographic contexts", which can be found here: http://192.168.10.248/documents/1453

Samples

Sample Used Coded Data Comment
D-PLACEOthersReplicated Anderson et al (2023)'s sample of 63 societies

Documents and Hypotheses Filed By:stefania.becerralavado