How Hunting Shaped Gender Roles
We often act in certain ways depending on our gender. Some radicals may lecture us that that’s backward thinking, but we have innate instincts and thought patterns as a result of millennia of evolution from hunter-gatherers, even if we outwardly look different, such as by using smartphones or flying. Let’s look at a few examples to understand how our evolution from hunter-gatherers shaped gender roles:
When I was a kid and guests visited, I wanted to discuss something with my mom but I didn’t want them to hear it. So I whispered. I was immediately chastised that “As a boy, you should speak up and not mutter.” Why did this social norm evolve? Because if a group of men have surrounded a wild boar and they need to coordinate such as “Block the path near the tree!” they need to talk loudly over its growling. Whispering wouldn’t work. On the other hand, women stayed at home and took care of emotional needs, which are sensitive topics that are appropriate to be whispered, not shouted out, so it’s more socially appropriate for a girl to whisper to her mother in front of guests.
Women are better listeners, have better verbal skills, and are more emotionally intelligent because that was required for taking care of the husband and children’s needs. On the other hand, men typically have better spatial awareness, and are more logical. Men don’t let their emotions derail their work — if you’re about to spear a wild animal and you’re suddenly overcome by emotion, the hunt will fail.
Needless to say, these generalisations don’t hold for every individual, only in aggregate.
This also explains why men feel more comfortable confiding their emotional problems (insecurity, fear, doubt, feelings of inadequacy) with women rather than other men — when you’re out on a hunt, emotions are a distraction. When you’re done with the hunt and return home, you go home to your wife, with whom you discuss emotional matters.
Another social norm is for men to act confidently even when they’re uncertain. When you’re hunting, you need to act decisively. If, instead of clubbing an animal, you ask, “Should do I it? I’m not sure, guys. What do you think?” the animal will escape. A hunter is better off confident 10 times out of 10 and being right 7 times. If he becomes diffident, he won’t even catch the animal 7 times out of 10.
Men make less eye contact, especially with other men, because when you’re hunting, you gotta look at the animal rather than gaze intently into each other’s eyes.
Bringing in money is still considered more of a man’s responsibility. This is just an extension of the hunter bringing in a carcass for the family to eat. In today’s world, a man earns the money1 that is then used to pay someone else to kill the animal on his behalf. If you strip away this indirection, it’s still the man taking responsibility to provide for the family.
The above are intended to explain why we do certain things, not to constrain our behavior. For example, as a guy, I’ve confided in male friends who have helped immensely. In my mom’s final years, I cooked, cleaned, maintained the house and cared for her.
So the hunting analogies are intended to explain the historical origins of gender norms, not to constrain you.
Men on average earn more than women.