Gender Inequality and Modes of Subsistence: Sexual Dimorphism as a Measure

• In Event: 1483 - Open Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Table 13. Global Perspectives on Gender Inequality

Abstract

There are multiple ways to measure gender inequality in societies. We focus on sexual dimorphism as operationalized by male/female height ratios as a physical quantifier of gender inequality that can be used across historical time spans and across societies. Sexual dimorphism is a good indicator of the level of gender inequality in a society because girls have less access to food in societies that have high gender inequality, which in turn impacts their adult height. Multiple other studies show that the average height of girls in a society increases when they are provided access to equal amounts of food. We test to see if there is a difference between societies’ modes of subsistence (hunter-gatherer, pastoralist, horticultural, and agrarian) and their levels of sexual dimorphism. Using a cross-cultural dataset, we demonstrate empirically that gender inequality as measured by sexual dimorphism is lower in hunter-gatherer societies and becomes significantly higher in other forms of societies. The reasons for this rise in gender inequality as societies change from one mode of subsistence to another are discussed.

Authors

• Rebecca Álvarez, New Mexico Highlands University

• Alyssa Romero Johnson, New Mexico Highlands University

• Alexis Antonio Alvarez, University of California-Riverside