How to Put the Cart Behind the Horse in the Cultural Evolution of Gender. Issue 1 (January 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Saunders, Daniel
• Other Names: Gotoh Reiko guest-editor.; Yoshida Kei guest-editor.; Cheung Chor-yung guest-editor.; Iorio Francesco Di guest-editor.; Dumouchel Paul guest-editor.; Tamthai Mark guest-editor.; Bouvier Alban guest-editor.; Kaldis Byron guest-editor.; Montuschi Eleonora guest-editor.; Zahle Julie guest-editor.; Zamora-Bonilla Jes´us guest-editor.; Henderson David guest-editor.; Khalifa Kareem guest-editor.; Risjord Mark guest-editor.; Roth Paul guest-editor.; Tollefsen Deborah guest-editor.; Turner Stephen guest-editor.
• Is Part Of: Philosophy of the social sciences. Volume 52:Issue 1/2(2022)
• Page Start: 81
• Page End: 102
• Publication Date: 2022-01
• Subjects: cultural evolution -- agent-based model -- game theory -- gender -- social learning; Social sciences -- Periodicals; Social sciences -- Methodology -- Periodicals; Sciences sociales -- Périodiques; Sciences sociales -- Méthodologie -- Périodiques; 300.1
• DOI: 10.1177/00483931211049770
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0048-3931

Abstract

In The Origins of Unfairness, Cailin O'Connor develops a series of evolutionary game models to show that gender might have emerged to solve coordination problems in the division of labor. One assumption of those models is that agents engage in gendered social learning. This assumption puts the explanatory cart before the horse. How did early humans have a well-developed system of gendered social learning before the gendered division of labor? This paper develops a pair of models that show it is possible for the gendered division of labor to arise on more minimal assumptions.