ANTH 331 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Venus Figurines, Spearfishing, Meta-Analysis
12 Jan 2017
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Document Summary
Traditionally, anthropology has said that biology matters that dimorphic human bodies are important in explaining behavioural differences. Biological asymmetry argument: in all human populations there are consistent morphological and physiological differences between the sexes. Sexual division of labour = these differences impact what tasks men and women can do. Assumes certain tasks are universally female or male . Ex/ males are hunters, females as producers. Sex roles: the differential taks/jobs women and men do that are biologically determined (ex/ pregnancy) Gender roles: the differential tasks/jobs that men and women do are culturally prescribed. Smith (2007) considered caretaking to be a sex role: caretaking is considered to be a sex role related to biological factors. Aside from providing the milk, men can care for children as well as women. If we think a task is a sex role it shapes our ideas about society in a different way than if we think a task is a gender role.
