ACR essay. Belopolskaya. Exceptional role of women: today and long ago

The XX century witnessed great changes not only in political and economic systems. Social functions of man and especially women have been changed. Now more women can be seen in governments and top management. The evolution is inevitable. But still, as Kozma Prutkov once said, “Capture the gist!” In evolution process the gist can be found in the very beginning of it, or in prehistoric times.

Relicts of prehistoric times are available due to archaeology, and social relations that cannot be found in the ground are reconstructed ethnographically. The first such reconstructions performed by Boris Symchenko refer to Final Paleolithic and Mesolithic, so this essay id going to analyze social function of a woman of those periods and prove that it was rather passive but still exceptional.

So, according to the mentioned above reconstructions a Stone Age woman had certain responsibilities to the family. She dressed meat, made clothes, prepared primitive food. It seems that her job was not so important as compared with a man’s responsibilities.

A man was the main daily breader of the house. It was him who hunted food. Death or physical incapacity meant starvation and extinction of the family. The fact of important man’s social function cannot be ignored.

So, from the one hand, a woman seems to be just a man’s assistant who managed around the house when her man was hunting. But from the other hand exceptional function of a woman in any society is to deliver a baby, a new hunter and a future breader if it is a baby boy, or a future woman to continue the evolution.

But there is an evidence of exceptional attitude towards woman. It can be seen in numerous statuettes of so-called Paleolithic Venus. These are small figures made mostly from sort stone, bones of mammoth or other animals. The figures have some exaggerated features (hips, breast and belly). Although there exist many various interpretations of the statuettes, all researches agree with the fact that no men statuettes of that period were found. It can mean that men required women.

Thus, in a mutually beneficial alliance “man-woman”, a woman was responsible for household activity, children up-bringing, and providing inspiration to men. The mentioned above functions underline the exceptional and specific role of woman in Paleolithic and Mesolithic societies. And this is the “gist” that can help those women who want to reconsider their values and attitude towards a family and carrier.

Literature:

«Искусство. Современная иллюстрированная энциклопедия» Под ред. проф. Горкина А.П.; М.: Росмэн; 2007.

Зализняк Л.Л. Охотники на северного оленя Украинского Полесья в эпоху финального палеолита. — К.: Наукова думка, 1989. — 182 с.

Симченко Ю.Б. Культура охотников на оленей северной Евразии. М., Наука, 1976 –  311 с., С. 191 – 193.

Столяр А.Д. «Происхождение изобразительного искусства». М., 1985.  –  298с.