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Article
Sexual differences in a Californian hunter-gatherer population
California Anthropologist (1998)
  • Elizabeth Weiss, San Jose State University
Abstract
This project examined the skeletal remains of a 3, 000-year-o/d preagricultural population to determine whether a sexual division of labor existed. Cortical bone remodels itself throughout an individual's lifetime in response to the stresses experienced by activity patterns. Cortical bone morphology, therefore, discloses the nature of the stresses caused by different activity patterns. Computer tomography was used to obtain femoral cross-sections for 30 females and 34 males, taken at two levels along the diaphysis of the bone in order to determine the direction from which the major bending stresses are created. Student's t-tests and Analysis of Variance were used to analyze the differences in means and variances of the ratios for the sexes. The statistical tests revealed that two of the four ratios showed a significant difference between males and females. It is suggested that males were doing more traveling than were females. Females were probably participating in food preparation close to a home base.
Keywords
  • Sexual differences,
  • California,
  • hunter-gatherer,
  • population
Disciplines
Publication Date
1998
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 1998 Cal State L.A.
Citation Information
Elizabeth Weiss. "Sexual differences in a Californian hunter-gatherer population" California Anthropologist Vol. 25 (1998)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/elizabeth_weiss/5/