Valuing Women’s Work

Women’s labor is often unpaid, undervalued, prescribed, and forgotten.

Whatever the prevailing cultural norms, one thing is for sure, all the “rules” around a woman’s role in the workforce shatter when there’s a labor shortage. It suddenly becomes acceptable, patriotic even, for women once confined to the home to join the paid workforce.

𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗻𝗼 𝗳𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗪𝗪𝗜𝗜 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿.

It’s a common belief that in hunter-gathering societies of yore, women gathered, and men did the hunting. Never mind the value of keeping everyday starvation at bay, the glory lay with the men and the spoils of the hunt.

𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗻.

At least in pre-historic Americas, the archeological record suggests that 30 to 50 percent of women were big game hunters. When scientists look at the evidence objectively (DNA!) and don’t make gendered assumptions about skeletons buried with hunting tools or weapons (warriors, too!), we have proof of what we’ve known all along:

𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗼.

It’s just been hard to get the credit for that or, for that matter, all the domestic work that makes bacon-bringing possible.

Be proud of your contribution, whether paid or unpaid. Demand the respect you deserve. You are descended from hunters and riveters. You are more than a labor booty call from society.

Click here to learn more about prehistoric women hunters.