Role of Women and Men in Paleolithic Soceities

      Advances resulting from the Great Leap Forward made the men of the Upper Paleolithic period much more effective big-game hunters than their Neanderthal predecessors. Among the most significant developments were better hunting strategies resulting from closer cooperation, improved speech, and more lethal weapons. So successful were the strategies of early modern humans, people were able to survive comfortably on the food they hunted and gathered, without relying on scavenging. People such as the Cro-Magnons managed to plan ahead, strong food fro the winter. Improvements in technology led to better weapons and better tools fro skinning and preparing food, scraping skins, and - for the first time - sewing better-fitting clothes to provide much more protection from the harsh winter weather. Cro-Magnons were so successful at hunting big game that they were able to adapt to changes in their environment.
      Hunters stalked whatever game was available. In Europe, men hunted mammoths, aurochs, bison, reindeer, wild cattle, horses, and red deer. In South America, it was Llamas, giant sloths, and an ostrich-like bird called a rhea. In Australia, emus, wallabies, kangaroos, and large marsupials were the prized animals. Early hunters used a variety of techniques to capture large game, including driving the animals into natural enclosures or forcing them over cliffs, or into marshes or tar pits. The appearance of the bow and arrow about 20 000 BCE allowed hunters freedom to stalk animals with even greater success.
      Despite the male's increasing success at hunting big game, we must be careful not to overemphasize the importance of hunting and, consequently, men in society. Our view of Paleolithic society has been coloured by cave paintings of heroic hunters, and the fact that weapons preserve better than sewn leather bags or baskets made for gathering. They gathering of food was done mostly by women and children accounted for approximately 60 to 70 percent of the Upper Paleolithic diet. Women were virtually assured of returning from their foraging with a full sack of food, while the men could never be certain whether the hunt would be a success. No wonder there was such rejoicing when a major kill was made. Women would spend a large portion of their time gathering food, which included various roots, potatoes, fruits, sweet berries, honey, and shellfish. Studies of the teeth of Paleolithic skeletons suggest that the bulk of the diet was vegetables.
      The role of women extended far beyond the vital responsibility of food gatherer. Women in Paleolithic societies made clothing from the hides of animals and nurtured the young. Once past their childbearing years, older women would have advised younger women, passing on wisdom and stories handed down from generation to generation. Whether acting as mothers or grandmothers, women were essential to the health and survival of Paleolithic societies.
      When discussing Paleolithic society, there is always the danger of oversimplifying gender roles.  Women, who normally gathered in hunter-gatherer societies, also captured small game, reptiles, birds, and insects to supplement the diet of the family or band. On occasion, some women probably accompanied men on a hunt, helping to drive animals from the bushes, or paddling canoes while men fishes. O the other hand, men tracking game would have gathered food along the way, even if primarily to feed themselves on the hunt. Other tasks, such as gathering firewood, cannot be assigned exclusively to one gender.

Writing: ECHOES from the Past published by McGraw-Hill Ryderson Ltd.