Remains show ‘jobs for the girls’ existed in Bronze Age

THE gender divide in jobs existed as far back as the Bronze Age, according to a new study analysing dental damage.

Scientists say that dental remains from the Argaric culture, who lived in southern Spain 4,000 years ago, prove that certain jobs were reserved exclusively for women, such as the production of handcrafted threads and textiles.

Wear and tear – including notches, flakes and grooves on the enamel – indicate women started using their teeth from a young age to handle plant and animal fibres, according to the study.

While the talents of the Argaric culture have previously been documented, a link between these activities and the artisan’s gender has not been established until now.

The study’s primary author, Dr Marina Lozano of the Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social said: “One of the most important conclusions of this new study is that double labour specialisation existed already by the end of the Bronze Age.

“It indicates that a single, small group of people was dedicating themselves to handicrafts related to the production of threads and textile manufacture and that, furthermore, these activities were carried out exclusively by women.”

The Argaric culture developed in the southeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula during the Early Bronze Age between 2200 and 1550BC. Early settlers quickly learnt how to forge weapons out of bronze, giving them a short-lived advantage over neighbouring tribes.

The dental remains of more than 100 Argaric individuals buried in the Castellón Alto site in Granada, Spain, were analysed. Markings on five of the women’s front teeth show that they used them to manipulate threads to make textiles and basketry.

This suggests the division of labour between men and women already existed by the end of the Bronze Age.