Akas Gender Roles

The Akas are a prime example that women are not the only ones that have the ability to be nurturing. This group is an egalitarian society, in which there is not assigned gender roles. I think being an egalitarian society contributes highly in why women and men both are nurturing in child care. Everyone in the group share their goods and are friends with one another. Children treat their parents more like a friend than a parent because of the intimate bond they developed as they grew older (Hewlett 43.) The fathers in the Aka group are involved in child care because the father's embrace it. They publically play with their children and kiss them. Babies seek the
Fathers more than they do to the mothers and the fathers are similar in that matter too. Fathers and their infants are always in physical and emotional contact with one another. On the contrary, both sexes work together. Not just in parenting, but it hunting too. (Lecture.) In this society, the couples work together to contribute to survival. Because there is no food surplus, there is no strict leadership or assigned gender roles. Husbands and wives are near each for majority of the day so their relationship is strong and fair. This way of life contributes to men having the availability and approval to take care of their children.
In comparison to other cultures, Akas
Gender is a cultural construct. Each society will determine how roles are played out by assigning gender ((Mascia-Lees and Black 2.) Typically women are the caretakers, leaving the idea that they are more nurturing than the fathers, who are busy and not emotionally stabled to be involved. It is evident in the Akas, that gender is not relevant to who takes care of the children. Every mother and father are both contributors as to how their children are raised and they also both show their children love and