Explain how the social roles traditionally adopted by women and men are rooted in biologically based differences but are not biological themselves. What evolutionary forces were at work in these situations?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

A good answer would include the following key points:
- In early societies women gathered food and men hunted, in part because it was easier for women to combine their gathering role with their responsibilities during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and childcare.
- These roles became ingrained in society and were culturally encouraged in children from a young age.
- As such, biologically based differences between women and men (e.g., women can give birth and breastfeed, whereas men cannot) were subjected to evolutionary pressures (e.g., hunting and gathering to ensure survival) leading to differences in social roles.
- These differences in roles are therefore rooted in biology but are not biological themselves.