The kibbutz experiment: Why aren't men and women the same?
Two anthropologists, Lionel Tiger and Joseph Shepher, analyzed for years the lives of 34,000 people who had grown up in a commune opposed to gender differentiation. These are his conclusions.
It is often thought that the reason women tend to choose jobs related to people or help is that they have assimilated the message of the environment. It was 1975 when a book was published explaining a social experiment, the less surprising. Anthropologists Lionel Tiger and Joseph Shepher analyzed the lives of 34,000 people who had grown up in a village that strongly opposed gender differentiation. The so-called kibbutz arose in the 1940s, when a group of Jews from Eastern Europe and known as the Hedera Commune decided to establish an independent settlement of workers without workers or exploited. These Hebrews believed in a new kind of egalitarian society where no one was above anyone else, thus giving rise to the concept that Jews should manage their own commune. In fact, kibbutz is the Hebrew voice of grouping. "Each according to his capacity, each according to his needs", was the slogan of this collective dream with roots in the ideas of social transformation born in the nineteenth century. The kibbutz is considered one of the most important communal experiments in history and was consolidated thanks to successive waves of Jews in the area.
The experiment
Tiger and Shepher spent several years in these villages, where men and women were expected to do whatever task was assigned to them. The children slept in common dormitories and were educated by professionals committed to equal training. In fact, when television made its appearance, those responsible for it restricted its use. Parents visited the little ones at lunchtime and before going to sleep. The main objective was to remove gender and class barriers, which today's feminist currents oppress women, in the hope that gender differences will disappear over time. That's why all tasks were evenly spread to 50%. The two anthropologists had hoped to see their thesis fulfilled, but the scenario was very different. After four generations, between 70% and 80% of women had leaned towards people-oriented jobs, especially those related to children. On the other hand, men had opted for agriculture, factory work or maintenance.
The more time they spent in the kibbutz, the more remarkable the division of labour by gender became. Only 16% of the women who had grown up there wanted to engage in agriculture and industry. Similarly, virtually none of the men wanted to educate school-age children and less than 20% opted for primary education.
The conclusion
"The statistical profiles we obtained unexpectedly revealed that men and women seemed to live as if they were in two different communities and were fundamentally in homes. It was almost as if we had studied two distinct populations," reads the study published by the two anthropologists. "We were also not prepared to discover what several specific kibbutz researchers had previously discovered: a strong, general and cumulative tendency of both men and women to differentiate therselfmore, rather than less, in terms of what they were doing and what they evidently wanted to do," Tiger and Shepher continue. It is also apparent from their studies that the women of the community had claimed to spend more time with their children, in addition to the times allocated by default at noon and at night, and the marked differences of men and women when choosing a job.
"They could encourage them and force them to do the jobs that others thought they should do. But, if they were given the freedom to express what they wanted, what is expected of them and what they decided did not coincide. Imposing neutral functions on women didn't work," they say.
gaceta.es
why is it that I am not surprised
Two anthropologists, Lionel Tiger and Joseph Shepher, analyzed for years the lives of 34,000 people who had grown up in a commune opposed to gender differentiation. These are his conclusions.
It is often thought that the reason women tend to choose jobs related to people or help is that they have assimilated the message of the environment. It was 1975 when a book was published explaining a social experiment, the less surprising. Anthropologists Lionel Tiger and Joseph Shepher analyzed the lives of 34,000 people who had grown up in a village that strongly opposed gender differentiation. The so-called kibbutz arose in the 1940s, when a group of Jews from Eastern Europe and known as the Hedera Commune decided to establish an independent settlement of workers without workers or exploited. These Hebrews believed in a new kind of egalitarian society where no one was above anyone else, thus giving rise to the concept that Jews should manage their own commune. In fact, kibbutz is the Hebrew voice of grouping. "Each according to his capacity, each according to his needs", was the slogan of this collective dream with roots in the ideas of social transformation born in the nineteenth century. The kibbutz is considered one of the most important communal experiments in history and was consolidated thanks to successive waves of Jews in the area.
The experiment
Tiger and Shepher spent several years in these villages, where men and women were expected to do whatever task was assigned to them. The children slept in common dormitories and were educated by professionals committed to equal training. In fact, when television made its appearance, those responsible for it restricted its use. Parents visited the little ones at lunchtime and before going to sleep. The main objective was to remove gender and class barriers, which today's feminist currents oppress women, in the hope that gender differences will disappear over time. That's why all tasks were evenly spread to 50%. The two anthropologists had hoped to see their thesis fulfilled, but the scenario was very different. After four generations, between 70% and 80% of women had leaned towards people-oriented jobs, especially those related to children. On the other hand, men had opted for agriculture, factory work or maintenance.
The more time they spent in the kibbutz, the more remarkable the division of labour by gender became. Only 16% of the women who had grown up there wanted to engage in agriculture and industry. Similarly, virtually none of the men wanted to educate school-age children and less than 20% opted for primary education.
The conclusion
"The statistical profiles we obtained unexpectedly revealed that men and women seemed to live as if they were in two different communities and were fundamentally in homes. It was almost as if we had studied two distinct populations," reads the study published by the two anthropologists. "We were also not prepared to discover what several specific kibbutz researchers had previously discovered: a strong, general and cumulative tendency of both men and women to differentiate therselfmore, rather than less, in terms of what they were doing and what they evidently wanted to do," Tiger and Shepher continue. It is also apparent from their studies that the women of the community had claimed to spend more time with their children, in addition to the times allocated by default at noon and at night, and the marked differences of men and women when choosing a job.
"They could encourage them and force them to do the jobs that others thought they should do. But, if they were given the freedom to express what they wanted, what is expected of them and what they decided did not coincide. Imposing neutral functions on women didn't work," they say.
El experimento kibutz: ¿Por qué hombres y mujeres no somos iguales?
Dos antropólogos, Lionel Tiger y Joseph Shepher, analizaron durante años la vida de 34.000 personas que habían crecido en una comuna opuesta a la diferenciación de género. Estas son sus conclusiones.
gaceta.es
why is it that I am not surprised
