Evolution of women

I find that most illustrations and other representations depicting the evolution of humankind depict the evolution of males by default. A Google image search of "evolution of man" turns up a plethora of illustrations depicting the evolution of exactly that … MAN. Women, for some strange reason, are nowhere to be seen, though I'm sure we were part of the process.


Even though I have studied a great deal of anthropology, including some physical anthropology, and have always been interested in evolution, I find that only the image of males evolving is stuck to my brain. What women looked like through the years? The gradual progression of sexual dimorphism, when things happened and what it looked like? Not so sure. If anyone knows where I could see an illustration of the evolution of women – that is, something that doesn't depict us constantly cleaning the floor – I would be much obliged.

Even though anthropology has taught me a lot about how women as gatherers were usually responsible for bringing in the most sustenance, and how societies with matrilineal kinship systems and egalitarian property structures are typically more peaceful and less patriarchal, I still get other messages from a lot of the images and language associated with our discipline. This is despite the fact that the canon of anthropology – at least on the cultural side – has been developed and influenced by female scholars. Many of these anthropologists have questioned traditional philosophical paradigms that were based on deeply rooted Western canons whose development were heavily centered on the male perspective. Despite this, anthropology still seems alarmingly malecentric.

For a field so heavily developed and influenced by women, I have to wonder where the women are depicted, and who understands their impact. It has been said that the way we talk about things filters what we understand of our reality. Images work the same way. If I'm a woman and I want to know how we as humans evolved, but all I can find are pictures of apes turning into men, I can't see where we are in the picture. I don't see humans, I see men. There are a lot of discussions going on in our field about how science textbooks, particularly in the field of biology, reinforce patriarchal notions – associating the male body with the stereotypical role of aggressor and sexual predator, for example – through the use of precise language and visual depiction. It seems that anthropology should be at the cutting edge of questioning and confronting those stereotypes … (Anthropology.net)


My Theory course last semester was about how ancient women have been described in the archaeological literature and how such portrayals are a reflection of the decidedly sexist history of academic archaeology. While much progress has been made since the days of "man the hunter," a piece published today revisits the debate and how many portrayals of "cavewomen" in the popular media continue to be a caricature of reality. Accounts of man the hunter, woman the gatherer have become so entrenched in our culture that it still passes as the way things were. a new book by James entitled The Invisible Sex: Uncovering the True Roles of Women in Prehistory that should prove to be an enlightening read." (Anthropology.net)

The Invisible Sex: Uncovering the True Roles of Women in Prehistory

This jauntily written, highly convincing analysis by influential anthropologists Adovasio and Soffer and former editor of Natural History and Smithsonian Page argues that women of prehistory were pivotal in a wide range of culture-building endeavors, including the invention of language, the origins of agriculture and the conceptualization of boat building. Although based on the most current scientific evidence, these theories are presented as accessibly as possible, with frequent humorous asides and a wide range of popular cultural touchstones, from Charles Darwin to The Clan of the Cave Bear.

The authors offer concepts that radically challenge our preconceptions of human behavior and history. They argue, for instance, that brain development and an increase in longevity that produced extended families, especially grandmothers, brought about a "creative revolution" in the Late Paleolithic period (about 30,000 years ago). The authors also include a fascinating discussion of the possible role of goddess worship in prehistoric society and its relationship to contemporary New Age feminism. Highly readable, well argued, and always fascinating, this critique of traditional anthropology is an important addition to both scientific and feminist literature.

Although more than half the graduates of academic programs in archaeology are women, bias still haunts the profession. Because the artifacts of prehistory are themselves mute, the stories told by their interpreters create an apparent reality of what the past was like._Written in graphic, often novelistic prose, this book deconstructs those stories and finds that, consistently, they assume a world controlled by men and almost devoid of women and children, except as hungry mouths for ancient hunters to feed. Prehistoric women, however, are thought to have invented many things we take for granted: language, for instance, to say nothing of cooking and weaving. An engaging book that sets the record straight while describing current theories and trends in archaeology. (Salon.com)