Unit 1, Lesson B: "Gender in the Wild: Three Studies Reveal New Findings"

Those three studies show how gender impacts animals' societies.

     Elephants live in large matriarchal society which is composed of mothers, grandmothers and female relatives and friends. Female elephants build strong relationships with each other, which makes their society more stable. They take care of not only their biological child but also every young elephants in their communities including orphan elephants. However, a recent study revealed that few male elephants form a group and create strong bonds between them, They also have a similar hierarchy to that of female extended families. A behavioral psychologist noted that such strict hierarchy is beneficial for them to survive in dry years.

     Gelada family units are another example of matriarchal society. They are usually composed of few female geladas, their children and a primary male. In this society, female geladas play a important role in decision-making. They also decide which male they want to have as a primary male. After making a decision, they invites a bachelor gelada to the family. However, the previous male does not leave the family. Instead, he take a role as a kind of grandfather.

     A study young chimps revealed that some young chimps in captivity show gender-role-related behaviors. According to the research, young female chimps played with sticks just like they were making nests and taking care of babies, while young male chimps played with toys like trucks and preferred active play to playing with objects like sticks.

   It's a little bit surprising for me that how young chimps play shows their gender roles because I have never thought that there would be gender roles even in their society. These studies are quite interesting because I'm interested in gender-related issues. My biggest curiosity is this; Is there a set gender role? Regarding this question, I think it is wrong. Some people think that there are stereotypes of the roles of men and women but these are usually negative and incorrect. Gender roles are different throughout the world and there are some counterexamples. However, I am still curious about this question because most of the stereotypes are formed throughout centuries. I think I should read more researches and history books to get a more precise answer for this.