Yabba dabba ... what can’t women ... do?!? For decades, scientists believed that early humans had a strict division of labor. The image of prehistoric men hunting while women gathered and cared for the children has dominated our understanding of early humans. Research has uncovered a history of women hunters, questioning the evidence behind that long-held assumption. In fact, regardless of maternal status, women hunted in almost 80% of foraging societies. Fossil evidence suggests that men and women had the same hunting injuries. Not to mention, women’s biology was built for hunting with higher levels of estrogen, an endurance-promoting hormone, perfectly suited for long-distance hunting. Also, female burial sites included hunting tools, but historically, when archaeologists found tools or weapons in a female’s grave, they assumed it was her husband’s, or that it was a ceremonial symbol of her place in the clan. Researchers even found that women may have rivaled males when it came to taking down big game, but historically, scientists have dismissed females’ hunting prowess because of researcher bias. This groundbreaking research highlights the crucial role women have always played in society. 🙌 Source: Research led by Sarah Lacy, an anthropology professor at the University of Delaware