An Insight

[bloodyrosemccoy]

Another sign that my science-fiction-writing brain has been destroyed by the internet:

While trying to figure out a culturally-constructed gender role dichotomy for my arhode aliens that was not just some kind of variation on the common human provider/nurturer one,* I realized that the roles I did come up with still fit a dichotomy known to humans.

That’s right, apparently my aliens’ gender roles can be defined in terms of pirate vs. ninja.

I leave you to guess which is male and which is female.


*This is actually rather hard, what with my 23 years of cultural conditioning. I can see why writers default to Crazy Backwards Land where cultural norms dictate men are nurturers and women are providers. At least then you still have your bearings.

Comments

[lookingforwater.livejournal.com]

Well, having one sex be primarily responsible for caretaking makes sense from a purely biological perspective in a species that cares for its young. This is the problem. In a species where the young is not cared for, there would probably just not be a gender division, or any real concept of gender. That is my logic, anyway.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

Division of labor is definitely handy, but the division can be very different depending on the species and is not necessarily a basis for cultural gender roles. Once again--the question evolutionary psychology versus culture.

[lookingforwater.livejournal.com]

You could also divide labor based on whose born with what.

Or you could be like FISHES, and have none, for you are all independant creatures coming together only to mate.

[gwalla.livejournal.com]

Not all fishes. See: anglerfish.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

I'll bet you a nickel that I'm going to visit the anglerfish mating pattern someday with SOME alien or another.

It does make "And this must be your husband" a particularly asinine thing to say, doesn't it?

[gwalla.livejournal.com]

"No, that's just a pimple."

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

Yes.

Diversity.

This is what I have been saying.

[joysweeper.livejournal.com]

*here from metaquotes*

Some fish do have childcare. It's the males that do that - making and maintaining the bubble nest, for example. Seahorses are the famous example, and there are some that will protect their spawn for a while, and I think there's this one species that will carry its hatched young in its mouth to protect and hide them.

There's not a whole lot of parental investment or anything, but there are some that care for their young. And a lot of fish really aren't independent, schooling together and all.

About who cares for the young, humans may have the child-tenders stay at camp or gather plants, but not all species are like that. Bats go on the hunt with their pups clinging to their bodies until the pups get too big, which is when they end up hanging on the ceiling until their mothers return. A lot of animals don't have the same division of labor that we do; they can't, since no one's going to feed the adults that can't feed themselves. Birds, some of them, have both parents working to feed and raise the chick.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

I strongly suspect that for most of human existence, women foraged for food, while men, like male lions, got stuck looking after the young.
Once the child is weaned, the principle qualification is to be expendable enough to go running toward a leopard, waving one's arms and shouting "Hey Leopard!!! OOGABOOGA!!! OOGABOOGA!!!"