Essay Exam 1 Anth316

1. Ernestine Friedl says that the position of women is higher the more they are involved in (l) primary subsistence (as owners or controllers, NOT merely as laborers) and (2) the PUBLIC distribution of the product of subsistence. Use this argument to account for the position of women in Kung society. Make sure you use both part (l) and part (2) of Friedl’s argument. (Don’t worry that Friedl’s argument is simplistic; she is not trying to say that women’s role in subsistence is the ONLY factor that affects their position in society.)
As postulated by Ernstein Friedl, where as the social power of women can be directly attributed to the involvement of subsistence. The contribution to the !Kung society by the women can range from any commodity or resource essential to daily living. Social status of the !Kung women depends on how much she actually contributes. In the book Nisa, the women were in charge of the gathering and maintenance of the house. !Kung men focused more on hunting, although an agrarian and livestock lifestyle was the most sustainable. This is an interesting turn in female empowerment because women had the capacity to care for and own livestock, allowing them to provide for themselves and others. The ability to provide subsistence to others is a tremendous advantage in the !Kung society because it allows the distributor of needed goods to maintain a certain level of power and decision making. .
Construct arguments for the following two propositions: (l) that Kung men have higher status and greater power than Kung women, and (2) that there is equality between Kung men and Kung women. Which position do you agree with, and why?
The proposition that Kung men have higher status and greater power than Kung women is somewhat true. Any position or task that a !Kung man does is usually seen to be more important and beneficial for the group then if a woman were to do it. This point of view from the tribe applies to positions of speakers, hunters and