Economic Systems of Foraging, Agricultural, and Industrial Societies

Cambridge University Press • • Published In • Pages: 316 •
By Frederic L. Pryor

Hypothesis

Social differentiation will be positively associated with other types of inequality among different types of foraging economies. (52)

Note

Wealth inequality is positively associated with social differentiation, slavery, and economic development, but not with social inequality between genders or other measures of gender status difference.

Test

Test NameSupportSignificanceCoefficientTail
Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regressionPartially supportedp < 0.05UNKNOWNUNKNOWN

Variables

Variable NameVariable Type OCM Term(s)
Female Contribution To SubsistenceDependentDivision Of Labor By Gender
Female PowerDependentGender Status
Gender InequalityDependentGender Status
Male AggressionDependentGender Status
Male DominanceDependentGender Status
SlaveryDependentSlavery
Social StratificationIndependentClasses
Wealth InequalityDependentClasses
Foraging Economy TypeDependentFood Quest

Related Hypotheses

Main AuthorHypothesis
Sanday, Peggy ReevesSeveral hypotheses are tested.
Frederic L. PryorForaging economy type (Classic, transitional, human-wealth oriented, intangible-wealth oriented, politically oriented, and physical-wealth oriented) will be associated with certain social structural characteristics (50).
Kim, Jun-HongThe cosmetics industry will be larger in nations with a female-biased operational sex ratio (OSR), the low ratio of female-to-male childcare hours (= substantial paternal investment), high economic inequality, high social mobility, low female labor force participation rate, high gender inequality and high encounter rate (= high population density)
Winkelman, Michael James"The Malevolent Practitioners are generally referred to by terms that are translated as 'sorcerers' or 'witches'. They are part-time specialists, with low social and economic status. In most societies, malevolent practitioners can be either male or female". (27)
Sanderson, Stephen K.Social stratification, class stratification, subsistence type, intensity of cultivation, use of plow, patrilineality, and patrilocality/virilocality will be positively associated with gender inequality, and female contribution to agriculture will be negatively associated with gender inequality (1427, 1438).