A paleogenetic study carried out with more than 10,000 individuals from all over Europe has shown that, despite the advances achieved by feminism in the last century, gender inequality has persisted “stubbornly” in many places around the world.
The study, conducted by Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) and published Monday in the PNAS magazine, reveals that in Europe prejudice against women arose in the Middle Ages and has been inherited ever since.
The team analyzed dental remains of more than 10,000 individuals from 139 sites across Europe from the last millennium and found that those who live in areas that have historically favored men over women are now more biased in favor of men than those who do not. who live in places where gender relations were more equal centuries ago.
The study suggests that gender attitudes are “transmitted” or inherited through education and culture and that prejudices survive even major socioeconomic and political changes, such as industrialization and world wars.
In fact, the researchers observed an exception that reinforces their theory: in regions that experienced a large-scale and abrupt population replacement -such as a pandemic or a natural disaster-, the transmission of these values was interrupted.
“The average age of the skeletons in this study is about 1,000 years and dates back to medieval times. So it’s surprising that the patterns of gender bias that existed at that time and in earlier times are still reproduced in contemporary attitudes,” says Margit Tavits, a WashU professor.
The professor warns that “the norms of gender equality transmitted from one generation to another can persist even if the institutions or structures encourage inequality, and vice versa.”
For this reason, Tavits concludes, “the message from our research is that norms and policies are not going to be enough to undermine deeply held sexist beliefs and maintain egalitarian ones. You have to address the cultural forces that channel these beliefs.”
To study gender equality in history, the researchers analyzed linear dental enamel hypoplasias, permanent lesions in the teeth caused by trauma, malnutrition or disease that provide essential information about a person’s health and living conditions.
These differences between male and female teeth in the same location indicate which sex received preferential treatment in terms of health care and dietary resources at the time.
Time and again, researchers found evidence linking historical and contemporary discriminatory attitudes. For example, people who lived in a historically egalitarian area were 20% more likely to have pro-women attitudes than those who lived in historically more pro-men areas.
Other tests showed that historical gender bias did not predict modern gender attitudes in immigrant populations.
The researchers also found no evidence that historical gender bias influenced contemporary attitudes in areas hardest hit by the 14th-century bubonic plague.
Finally, they looked at the United States, where the arrival of European settlers in the 16th century led to large-scale displacement of Native Americans, and again found no relationship between historical and current gender norms.
“Taken together, these results support the idea that historical biases persist because they are passed from one generation to the next and only occur when transmission between generations is not interrupted. We were surprised that such a clear relationship emerged,” Tavits said. EFE
Redacción Ciencia, Mar 13 (EFE).- A paleogenetic study carried out with more than 10,000 individuals from all over Europe has shown that, despite the advances achieved by feminism in the last century, gender inequality has persisted “stubbornly” in many places around the world.
The study, conducted by Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) and published Monday in the PNAS magazine, reveals that in Europe prejudice against women arose in the Middle Ages and has been inherited ever since.
The team analyzed dental remains of more than 10,000 individuals from 139 sites across Europe from the last millennium and found that those who live in areas that have historically favored men over women are now more biased in favor of men than those who do not. who live in places where gender relations were more equal centuries ago.
The study suggests that gender attitudes are “transmitted” or inherited through education and culture and that prejudices survive even major socioeconomic and political changes, such as industrialization and world wars.
In fact, the researchers observed an exception that reinforces their theory: in regions that experienced a large-scale and abrupt population replacement -such as a pandemic or a natural disaster-, the transmission of these values was interrupted.
“The average age of the skeletons in this study is about 1,000 years and dates back to medieval times. So it’s surprising that the patterns of gender bias that existed at that time and in earlier times are still reproduced in contemporary attitudes,” says Margit Tavits, a WashU professor.
The professor warns that “the norms of gender equality transmitted from one generation to another can persist even if the institutions or structures encourage inequality, and vice versa.”
For this reason, Tavits concludes, “the message from our research is that norms and policies are not going to be enough to undermine deeply held sexist beliefs and maintain egalitarian ones. You have to address the cultural forces that channel these beliefs.”
To study gender equality in history, the researchers analyzed linear dental enamel hypoplasias, permanent lesions in the teeth caused by trauma, malnutrition or disease that provide essential information about a person’s health and living conditions.
These differences between male and female teeth in the same location indicate which sex received preferential treatment in terms of health care and dietary resources at the time.
Time and again, researchers found evidence linking historical and contemporary discriminatory attitudes. For example, people who lived in a historically egalitarian area were 20% more likely to have pro-women attitudes than those who lived in historically more pro-men areas.
Other tests showed that historical gender bias did not predict modern gender attitudes in immigrant populations.
The researchers also found no evidence that historical gender bias influenced contemporary attitudes in areas hardest hit by the 14th-century bubonic plague.
Finally, they looked at the United States, where the arrival of European settlers in the 16th century led to large-scale displacement of Native Americans, and again found no relationship between historical and current gender norms.
“Taken together, these results support the idea that historical biases persist because they are passed from one generation to the next and only occur when transmission between generations is not interrupted. We were surprised that such a clear relationship emerged,” Tavits said. EFE