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Analysis of Relationship Between Modes of Production and Gender Inequality

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Analysis of Relationship Between Modes of Production and Gender Inequality
Amongst societies, there is a great variety of means of survival, all of which are dependent upon factors influencing the community—geographical location and structure of authority, to name a few. Such factors and the community’s ways of survival create the underlying basis of other complex issues, including the relationship between the sexes. Many anthropological papers that concentrate on the modes of production of specific groups of people have shown a connection between the modes of production and the presence or absence of gender inequality. Futhermore, there is also evidence of a further causality between the two: as a society adopts a more complex mode of …show more content…

Not only are the Agta women considered as significant providers of daily sustenance for their respective families, they also have much influence in decision making within both their family and the general community. The Agta people show equality within genders through their means of sustenance—foraging. According to Estioko-Griffin and Griffin, the Agta women have evidently shown much participation—equal to the men—when dealing with hunting and gathering food resources. However, it has also been stated that there is a slight presence of sexual division of labor. For example, when hunting, most women do not directly hunt by bows and arrows, traps, or machetes, depending on the geographical region in which they live. What most do instead is that they assist the men during the hunt (Estioko-Griffin & Griffin 2012: 125). Nevertheless, their involvement in the hunting is quite significant. The Agta women help carry game—or wild animals—back home, which is no small feat, since such game consists of hefty pigs and deer. In regions such as the Malibu River, there are women who are deemed as proficient in hunting with bows and arrows (Estioko-Griffin & Griffin 2012: 126). Another means of obtaining food is through fishing, an activity equally performed by both genders. The only selectivity exhibited is when a woman is either pregnant or physically older; however, such

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