When I hear the term hunter gatherer I imagine anatomically modern humans living in such a social structure. I don’t think the term is often used to describe our pre-human ancestors (although it may be an apt descriptor of how they lived). If we’re talking about our pre-human ancestral social structures that needs to be clarified and if we’re talking about homo sapien social structures it’s not relevant from a biological standpoint unless the brain evolved during that time span.

Ya'll do realize jwb is herding you to this discussion about trans people not being real right? That left turn to gender he took when ya'll were still talking about race was pretty awkward.

I actually didn't bring it up, Batty. I responded to something elph said about gender cause the race argument was pretty much done.

And I don't say trans people aren't real.

So you're saying that traditional gender roles were constructed by societal norms? A social construct, if you will?

I thought the whole village helped the mother raise children in Hunter gatherer tribes rather than the modern two parent model.

Yeah I guess it's basically a social construct but unlike race it serves a basic purpose and arose based on pragmatic biological constraints.

The idea of gender is basically just an aggregate of personality traits associated with the two sexes. Sex isn't a social construct and the reason those traits have become associated with a given sex is largely explained by the divergent strategies females and males employ to attract a mate.

generally speaking the women would take on that part of the work where men were more likely to hunt or do other dangerous work like that

The nuclear family is a modern adaptation of the same basic division of labor.

Wouldn't they would shift over thousands of years as society changes toward something more egalitarian and technologically advanced?

I mean they're obviously adaptable when you get into specifics.

I'm thinking more along the lines of the perception that women are more nurturing or men are more adventurous. These are traits that clearly were selected for and they reflect a lot of modern gender realities as well. So I don't think they are going anywhere anytime soon.

This is what the apes said to each other before this supposed hunter gatherer social influence entered the picture.

Millions of years ago? Sure

The thing is that like I said we aren't playing by the same rules in civilized society but for that to be reflected in our actual evolution, that would have to be true for much longer than just 10,000 years.

But I think in many ways natural selection has been overridden by technology in the case of humans.