Women were found to have hunted game of all sizes, but most often large animals in a majority of societies, according to the study, spearheaded by Abigail Anderson of Seattle Pacific University’s biology department.
A new study published questioned one of the oldest stereotypes about the roles of men and women, finding that female members of many of the world's remaining foraging societies are just as involved in hunting as men. The study's authors examined data from earlier studies on 63 still-existing societies around the world that engage in hunting and gathering. They then looked into how women participated in hunting in various societies, what they hunted, and what tools they used. The study was published by the Public Library of Science.
From 1888 to 2020, they discovered females hunting animals in eight of ten hunter-gatherer tribes in North and South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia.
Additionally, they had an equal chance of killing large game as males did. The research of 63 groups casts doubt on the conventional wisdom that women should be confined at home just to look after their children and gather fruit and berries.
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Women had "greater flexibility" with regards to weaponry and tactics, according to The Seattle Pacific University's Dr. Cara Wall-Scheffler. Additionally, there was evidence of their use of crossbows, nets, machetes, spears, and bows.
While males were more willing to go alone, with one other adult, or with a dog, women were pleased to hunt alone or with partners, women, children, or dogs. The Seattle Pacific University's Dr. Wall-Scheffler continued, "Females play an active and important role in hunting and the teaching of hunting — even if they use different tools and strategies."
"Sex-specific gender roles are commonly linked to gendered traits like men being less emotional, while women tend to demonstrate more nurturing behaviour," she told the PLOS One publication. "The data on women hunting directly oppose the common belief that women exclusively gather while men exclusively hunt," she added.
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