Paleolithic Era: the roots of gender roles 3500-500 BCE

    During the Paleolithic era, humans began to form small groups of nomadic people. As nomadic people, the societies would move in accordance with the seasons as hunter gatherers. Men and women lived as equals, compared to later periods in history. The work of men and women was evenly distributed, both roles playing a vital role in their survival. Women gathered crops and men hunted animals. Men and women also engaged in monogamous long-term relationships. These views seem to of carried into later times, forming gender roles of the future. While that being said, taboo topics such as virginity and divorce were not an issue in societies. Divorce allowed couples to move on freely from unsatisfactory marriages. The concept of virginity appeared to be unknown by societies at this point, as well as rape or wife beating. Because of this, women and men were equals in this aspect as well.

     Feminine energy was also prevalent during this time. The Great Goddess, a figurine of Venus (below), was believed to be a symbol of life and regeneration.

Following the Ice Age, the "Neolithic Revolution" occurred. During this time, humans developed a more stable life style, driving away the nomadic way of life and towards agriculture. This was due to a much more stable climate that humans had not seen until now. The stable climate allowed people in Eurasia and North Africa to remain in one place, while other areas, such as the Americas, struggled more due to a less stable climate. Agricultural communities continued to show social and gender equality as seen in hunter gatherer societies. In villages, women maintained their role as farmers, while also spinning textiles. Men continued to maintain the role as the hunter, but also engaged in more domesticated work as well as the women such as making tools.

Around Central Asia, Arabian Peninsula, South Africa, and the Shahara another type of community began to form. Branching off from the nomadic lifestyle was also Pastoral communities, instead of remaining in one place, like agricultural societies, pastoral people became herders; a nomadic people relying on domesticated animals for survival. Women in these societies were designated to produce textiles and milk the animals. After the domestication horses, women rode with men and participated in battles. "A number of archaeological sites around the Black Sea have revealed high-status women buried with armor, swords, daggers, and arrows." (Ways of the World pg 41) Women were also highly reverend in religious life as suggested by being buried with healers.

Descendants in some communities were traced through female lines. Men would often move in with the wive's family. While in other communities, descendants were traced by the male lines and wives would move into their husband's home. This split in gender roles indicates that gender roles were formed based off of the culture people lived in, rather than division of labor or power.

A figure of the Great Goddess, Venus