A.L. Zihlman, "Women's Bodies, Women's Lives: An Evolutionary Perspective,"

"A.L. Zihlman, in her essay 'Women's Bodies, Women's Lives: An Evolutionary Perspective,' in contrast, has pointed out that for most of our evolutionary history, human societies were nomadic. This bio-ecological context required both men and women to travel long distances, hunt, gather food, and care for older children and other members of their community. Similarly, in contemporary foraging and horticultural societies, women perform the same range of tasks as men do, and add infant care to their other responsibilities. Cross-cultural research illustrates that women are capable of traveling long distances, carrying heavy loads, and participating in hunting. Thus, the assertion that a rigid sexual division of labor existed over most of our evolutionary history is not supported, either by what is known about human society in prehistory, or by contemporary pre-agricultural cultures...."