Has there ever been a human society without the double standard?

[raccoon]

I refer, of course, to the double standard about sex.


edited for clarity.

[Jed Dilligan]

1. I don't think any society has ever treated the sexes as

completely equal, but outside of that there are almost infinite variations on what defines masculinity and femininity.

[Cleita]

2. Yes, I believe so.

I think among the Hawaiians and other Polynesian societies, women had equal say, many of them even becoming chiefs. I think many First Nation tribes in the Americas are also egalitarian with women having an equal say in the affairs of the tribe. When I was in Alaska last month, the Tlingit guides (women) told us that their society was matriarchal. Now I don't know if they meant the women were in charge or that they were equal to men. I wasn't there long enough to find out.

I do believe that work is divided into women's and men's work because the women by and large raise the children so they have to be able to do work that lets them multi-task and raise the children while they are working. This is probably why women did the gathering mostly rather than much hunting, which was left to the men. It was safer and something you could do while carrying a baby on your back and having toddlers trailing behind you.

[raccoon]

3. I guess I didn't make myself clear. Sorry about that.

I was referring to the idea that it's ok for men to have sex as much as they want to, but a woman who has uncommitted sex is a ho.


"A notorious type of double standard is the classic "studs vs. sluts" model, in which a man who has sex with many female partners is considered a "stud" or "player" (which are often considered compliments), while a woman who has sex with many male partners is considered a "slut" or "skank" (which are highly pejorative terms). "

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_standard