Page:The Scientific Monthly vol. 3.djvu/284

278 admitted that if women were everywhere shut out from a number of occupations open to men, regardless of racial and social differences, this would be fair presumptive evidence that woman is naturally less fit to undertake the tasks in question. Before making a direct comparison of the biological and psychological status of the sexes, we will therefore try to determine woman's sphere in different forms of society.

Woman's Sphere in Different Cultures.—Unfortunately this particular problem has been obscured by feminists as much as by any of their opponents. Among many adherents of woman's cause, there is a firm belief that all mankind at one time passed through a stage of society called "the matriarchate," in which women ruled supreme and men played the second fiddle. Only at a later period men are supposed to have risen to the ascendancy, hence, it is argued, the inferior position of woman in modern times is not rooted in sexual differences, but results from man's social position of vantage.

A correct conclusion should never be bolstered up by erroneous reasoning; and in the present instance the argument is scientifically worthless, because no satisfactory evidence of a general matriarchate condition has ever been advanced. The following are the facts : A great many primitive peoples of the world reckon kinship either exclusively through the mother or exclusively through the father; the matrilineal kin group being commonly called (by American ethnologists) a "clan," the patrilineal kin group a "gens." However, there are also not a few tribes without either clans or gentes; and in many cases there is not a shred of evidence for the view that the gentes were ever preceded by a clan system. Thus, it can not be regarded as a fact that the matrilineal clan represents a once imiversal stage of social development. But, even if it did, this would be very different from asserting a matriarchal stage. To trace descent through the mother is one thing; to yield social pre- rogatives to woman is a very different thing. Thus, we find a well- developed system of maternal descent among the coastal tribes of British Ciolumbia, but though a man inherits his mother's clan name and his maternal uncle's property, women play an altogether subordinate part in the tribal life. It is true that instances may be cited on the other side : among the Iroquois, in particular, there is not only descent through the mother, but something approaching a matriarchate, i. e., a far-reaching infiuence of women on the conduct of social and political affairs. Such examples, however, are decidedly rare; as a rule, whether in North America, Australia or other areas, the matrilineal system is not coupled with matriarchal privileges.

The really important question is, what has been the field of woman's activity in different times and regions? The care of the children de- volves on her from biological necessity. This task and her inferior muscular powers would keep her from war and the chase. Are there any further restrictions which the consensus of human societies has de-