!Kung Hunter-Gatherers: Feminism, Diet, and Birth Control

The ] Kungs have lived in the Kalahari Desert of South Africa by hunting and gathering since the Pleistocene Age. The role of women in the settled ] Kung has aroused considerable interest among social scientists. ] Kung women belonging to the nomadic bands enjoy higher status more authonomy and greater ability to directly influence group decisions than to sedentary ] Kung women. One reason for this may be that the nomadic women help gather the food for the band. Sex role development is different too. Nomadic living discourages the development of distinct games for boys and girls. In addition to promoting sexual egalitarianism this discourages aggression. The settled ] Kung seem to have lost a natural check on their fertility rates. Medical effects of the altered diet and way of life of the sedentary ] Kung have not yet been well established. Population growth among the sedentary group results from both a decrease in the age of menarche and a decrease in the average time between births.