Women: The Source of Human Empowerment

                                                 "What's in for the workers?" (pg. 173)

                Richard Dawkins recalls the Darwinian theory of Superior Gender Roles. Alike ants, humans are not only divided into two different sexes, but into two main classes: the bearers and the carers. "The bearers are the reproductive males and females. The carers are the workers–infertile males and females in the termites, infertile females in all other social insects. Both types do their job more efficiently because they do not have to cope with the other. But from whose point of view is it efficient?"

(This video portrays how in some cultures, women are viewed as bearers taking advantage of the carers) 

                Although gender roles aren't as rigorously defined today, women are still considered the bearers and men the carers. As women give birth, clean, cook and take care of the children, men are off to work, maintaining the household financially. This is where the chauvinism of society comes in. Most men believe a woman's chore is effortless and meaningless. When men have to deal with more complicated affairs, such as making business deals. The typical American housewife in the 50's and 60's was trained since she was a little girl to greet her husband with food and a warm smile. Some people "feel that the queen is having it all her own way, manipulating the workers by chemical means to her own selfish ends, making them care for her own team brood....The opposite idea is that the worker's 'farm' the reproductives, manipulating them to increase their productivity in propagating replicas of the workers genes." Who is taking advantage of who?


             In some cultures women are treated as royals. They are overly pampered, whiny and haughty. Nonetheless, in Eastern cultures, women bow down in their husbands presence. They are to never speek up or make requests. Women are seen as minorities. This mentality was considered to be a global state of mind up until 1970's.   If it weren't for women civilizations wouldn't have developed. Women are the educators of the world. It is for this race, that the human is what is it today. This statement may seem like a compliment, but it may also be a burden.


            Dawkins reveals that the workers (men) "may be actually more closely related to the brood than the queen herself." (pg.174) He supports his hypothesis with the theory of the "sex ratio," and how the differences in quantities of gender offsprings change the mother's relationship to her offspring..."A gene that finds itself in a queen's body can propagate itself best if that body invests equally in reproductive sons and daughters. But the same gene finding itself in a workers body by making the mother of that body

                The women's rights speech has been cliched, and declaring that women have obligations as a breeder is insurgent. Even though women today believe that raising an offspring is for the old fashioned, it is the only way for the human species to survive. However, the question that will always come up when thinking about this topic is: is chauvinism in our genes? Are some cultures more sexists for survival reasons? The environment and physical characteristics of a race might stimulate a fast process for extinction. Is chauvinism in our genetics?

Key Terms: 

1.) Selfish Herd: a group of selfish singles. 

2.) Reciprocal altruism: Helping others for personal benefit. 

3.) Cave Theory: Warning one's specie of danger for self protection.

4.) Never Break Ranks Theory: Helping others to become part of a group.
5.) Sucker: Helping others and gaining nothing in return. 
6.) Symbiosis: Mutual advantages from two individuals working together. 

7.) Cheat: Having no repercussions from "winning." 

8.) Evolutionary Stable Strategy: A strategy used to defeat others and survive. 

9.) Grudger: Interest in helping others who will help you in the future.