Gender - Evolutionary Explanations of Gender Flashcards
What are the traditional gender roles of males and females?
Males = hunters Females = Gatherers and homemakers
In what state would women have spent most of their lives?
Pregnant and/or producing milk
Why would a women being pregnant or producing milk reduce the groups reproductive success?
She would not be as good as hunting as men when pregnant and she would no be able to care for her young as effectively.
Why are men better at hunting?
They are bigger and stronger so can hunt more effectively.
How can women contribute?
By caring for children, growing vegetables,cooking, making clothes.
How do brain development differences influence the division of labour?
Males have better visual-spatial skills - makes them better hunters.
Females have better language skills - needed to raise infants effectively and transmit to next generation how to behave in society.
What study is associated with division of labour?
Wood and Eagley (2002)
What happened in Wood and Eagley (2002)?
Looked at records from culures. found in non-industrialised cultures men did more to provide food, whereas in all cultures women conributed more to childcare. Also found swing activities.
What are swing activities?
Activiteies which were predominatly male in some cultures whereas in others they were predominatly female.
Why does Wood and Easley (2002) support evolutionary explanations?
Men go out and provide food because they have evolved to be physically stronger and have a better chance at survival than women, which leads to the groups reproductive success.
Why does Wood and Easley (2002) oppose evolutionary explanations?
Men and women aren’t evolved the same and so shouldn’t be suited for the same types of jobs, ‘swing activities’.
What does mate selection say about men?
Evolved greater desire for casual sex, look for sex earlier in relationship to produce more offspring.
Look for partners who are younger, fertile and healthy.
What does mate selection say about women?
Also look for fertility and healthiness.
More concerned with partner who can provide for them financially.
What are signs of fertility in men and women?
Men - strong jaw, broad shoulders.
Women - Smooth skin, shiny hair, red lips and thin waist.
Why do women look for a partner who can provide resources?
They are incapable of providing for themselves after birth due to infant demanding exclusive attention. Men can provide better environmental condition to raise children in which leads to improvements in child’s fitness to survive.
