The (Re-)Ascent of Women

-Phillip Tussing, Economics(with thanks to Scotty Moore, Anthropology)

The Paleolithic: Hunter-Gatherer Economy

Two principles: One: that women were the

principle gatherers (80% of calories)

Two: that roles aren't fixed in stone

We are often taught that…

THE FALLACY OF FARMING

Farming is superior to hunting/gathering because the lives of hunters are “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short”

The status of women relative to men has ALWAYS been low – until modern times

Spend 2 hours per day gathering food and resources

Average caloric intake is 2200 calories per day

Diverse diet and small populations lead to increased health

Lack of private property greatly reduces crime rates

IT’S GOOD TO BE A HUNTER/GATHERER

Main social role: collect resources for immediate consumption

Women are often responsible for gathering but roles are NOT fixed

Gathered resources contribute up to 80% of the diet

Number of children limited by mobility

So – women’s contributions are immediate and critical to group survival

WOMEN IN HUNTER/GATHERER SOCIETIES

EARLY farming societies had all of the negatives that come with farming (and very few positives) Sanitation problems Disease Poorer diet and overall health Reliance on single crops

All of this leads to HIGH INFANT MORTALITY RATES Ancient Egypt – 25-35% infant

mortality rate

Main social role: provide delayed labor

WOMEN IN FARMING SOCIETIES

Early Industrialization: Britain after 1790

-women as well as men in industry – mostly young & unmarried

-especially in textile industry – traditional for women

-women had lower wages than men – used to save more expensive male labor

Economic Position of “Sweatshops”

In a column in the NY Times on 14 Jan 2009, Nicholas Kristof wrote: “...while it shocks Americans to hear it, the central challenge in the poorest countries is not that sweatshops exploit too many people, but that they don’t exploit enough.... sweatshops are only a symptom of poverty, not a cause, and banning them closes off one route out of poverty. The best way to help people in the poorest countries isn’t to campaign against sweatshops but to promote manufacturing there.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/opinion/15kristof.html

Women & the Rise of the Middle Class

-Move from Agricultural labor to Manufacturing

-Now Children, which were a Benefit in Agriculture, have an Opportunity Cost (prevents women from working & earning money)

-Consumer culture of “labor-saving devices”, many of which give women more time to work outside the home

WWII:Women Replace Male Workers

-”Rosie the Riveter” icon

-women not only in traditional roles, but heavy manufactuing

-again substituting for male labor, but temporary

-changed attitudes about women's competence

Women in Services

Women dominate many service industries

-76.7% of US Economy in 2011 was services

-typical of “post-industrial” rich country economies

Women Dominate Growing IndustriesFastest-Growing

Industries, US: Top 11:1. Management & Scientific Consulting

2. Services for Elderly

3. Physical & Occupational Therapists

4. Data Processing

5. Home health Care

6. Specialized Design

7. Computer Systems Design

8. Mental Health Care

9. Merchandise Stores

10. Medical Labs

11. Other Healthcare

-Women dominate primarily in traditional female industries:

-Healthcare

-Education

-Retail Store clerks

-Administrative Support

The Richer you Are, The Fewer Children

Post-Industrial Society-current American society is “post-industrial”

(dominated by services)

-US fertility rate as of 2012 is 2.06 – just under “replacement rate” of approx 2.1 – population would be shrinking already without immigration

-in most other OECD (i.e., “rich”) countries, the rate is as low or lower – in France it is 2.08; in Russia it's 1.43; in Japan it's 1.39; in Singapore 0.78 (!); in China it is 1.55 and falling; in India 2.58 (just above the World average of 2.47), but also falling.

The future holds more measures to support women in childbirth, childrearing while working, as well as more equal social and economic status

Model for the Future?

Sweden

Fertility Rate of 1.67

The Government Encourages Sexual Equality

-85% of Men take Govt-subsidized Parental Leave

-the more leave men take, the higher their wives' earnings

-Childcare is universal

References

-http://www.fao.org/docrep/X0250E/x0250e03.htm

http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/miscellaneous/women_workforce.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/philip-n-cohen/women-may-be-losing-jobs_b_114504.html

http://paa2008.princeton.edu/download.aspx?submissionId=81736

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/10/world/europe/10iht-sweden.html?pagewanted=3

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2127rank.html