How has the stereotypical role of a women developed an evolutionary basis?
Since the beginning of time,
women and men were on two different scales. Women are usually the housekeepers
and did not have much say in society. Because they are the housekeepers and
produce milk for their young this is an evolutionary basis.
For some animals there are males that
produce milk or lactate, just as a woman does. I would consider this an
evolutionary basis as well because this is usually something that happens in
women. Or what should only happen in women.
Just as human women produce, there are
other animals species who are able to produce as well. Although this is true,
the reproductive system is different for all. Animals can reproduce more than
one child at a time. For example a fish can have multiple babies at one time,
but human women can only have one baby at a time or if they or their partner
carry the gene, can have twins which isn’t as common in the human population.
It’s also different with breastfeeding. There are some male animals who lactate
and human men are able to lactate as well.
One of those animals is The Dayak fruit
bat is a bat that produces milk, but this is a normal function of the bat. Also
there is a male goat that produces milk on occasion. According to an article
called Male Lacation by Professor Patty
Stuart Macadam. Human men are able to lacate after having a baby suck on
the nipple after several weeks. This shows the evolution of the human women
role to it being passed on to men.
There are also other male mammals that
do not lactate but have the role of the “stay at home,” the Deer Mice is one of
these. According to NOVA Online, the Deer Mice guard the young while the other
goes out to eat This shows how the roles of the partners can be switched up,
for different reasons.
In
human society, this is not the case with men. Men cannot reproduce but they are
the reasons on why reproduction is possible. It shows how closely related we
are with animals but how we are also different.
Further
questions:
Why
are there mammals that take on the role of the “stay at home” but are not able
to lactate?
Why can the Dayak fruit bat lactate but not breast-feed? What is the propose?
Citations:
Comparison, By. "Statistics Bureau." Web. 02 Nov. 2010. <http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/handbook/c02cont.htm>.
Shanley, Laura. "Milkmen: Fathers Who Breastfeed." Bornfree! Laura Shanley's Unassisted Childbirth Page. 27 Sept. 2007. Web. 08 Nov. 2010. <http://www.unassistedchildbirth.com/miscarticles/milkmen.html>.
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