Gender Systems - Mating Systems

Cheryl Claassen

Appalachian State University

claassencp@conrad.appstate.edu

Gender is the culturally recognized arena for sexual selection and orchestrates primarily the human mating system. This function does not vary across time or space. What does vary are the resulting gender systems. This evolutionary perspective has profound implications for gender as it is commonly described, for feminist programs, and for a gendered archaeology. A gendered archaeology, an archaeological inquiry into sex, sexuality, and reproduction, needs to consider population characteristics, marriage systems, health, age, etc.