Sunday, November 16, 2014

how cooking frees men

1)      How did the cooking of food allow our ancestors to restructure the working day?
Cooking food helped our ancestors as raw food was very hard to eat and digest. It is estimated that 42% of the day or just over 5 hours a day in 12 hours, was spent in just trying to chew and digest the food. This would lead to less time for hunting and gathering.  Cooking food helped in chewing and digesting food easily therefore saving time.


2)    What is the sexual division of labour and why does its evolution centre on hunter-gatherers?
Sexual division of labour refers to the different activities to contribute to the household and economy done by males and females. Its evolution centres toward the hunters and gatherers. Gender division work for labour is present universally. The work division depends and varies on the culture as well.
3)     What are two major feature of the sexual division on labor represented by the Hadza?
Hadza are modern people from Africa who still engage and practice foraging. The hunting was primarily done by men and gathering was done by women. However in the end it was feasted by both the sexes.

4)    How has the division of labor by sex been thought to have affected society as a whole?
The division of labor by sex has been affecting the society as a whole because it was thought to have promoted ethical standards in all the societies. It has also created strong bonds in family. The division increases productivity as it allows the opposite genders to work on what they are skilled at.
5)     Why does the author believe that cooking food was an essential factor in allowing for the sexual division of labor?
Cooking food, in the perspective of the author is an essential factor in allowing sexual division of labor because the food was edible once it was cooked, it was easier to chew and digest, which saved more time for the people. Therefore the time spent chewing, eating and digesting food was minimised which resulted to ore time for hunting and gathering by men and women.


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