Men And Women In Society Essay

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Men, Women and Society

“In every known human society, the male’s need for achievement can be recognized. Men may cook, or weave or dress dolls or hunt hummingbirds, but if such activities are appropriate occupations of men, then the whole society, men and women alike, votes them as important. In a great number of human societies men’s sureness of their sex role is tied up with their right, or ability, to practice some activity that women are not allowed to practice. Their maleness, in fact, has to be underwritten by preventing women from entering some field or performing some feat.” In a nut shell, Mead is saying that whatever it is in society that men do, both men and women, hence society as a whole places great importance upon it; greater importance than is placed on anything females do within the said society.. And, that while this activity, whatever it may be is considered a man’s work or realm, it is signified as more so by excluding women from being able to do it at all. Through her field research, Mead and many other anthropologistssaw many things happening in different …show more content…

With the Mundurucú, if women were to see a trumpet, it would likely loge its status as a male right, and would then be considered mouthing special. So why is it that the trumpet is all powerful when it is only allowed to be used by men? Why then was the trumpet not considered powerful and sacred when women had it? Part of the problem seems to be that women agree with this too. Part of the mystical power of the trumpet is the fact that the women steer clear of it, delegating it to be a man’s responsibility. If the women were not so laid back about it and tried to take matters into their own hands, then men likely wouldn’t yield as much power. Assuming this is true, then why don’t

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