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Childrearing among hunter-gatherers. Infants may have up to several caregivers in a day.
Recent research has demonstrated the importance of childrearing, especially the care of infants, in hunter-gatherer societies. Children could have as many as 15 different caregivers who watched over them throughout the day. This approach serves a crucial purpose.
Hunter-gatherer societies are likely the oldest type of economy or culture, as the name suggests, involving obtaining food through gathering edible plants and hunting animals. Hunter-gatherers often led a nomadic lifestyle. Until the end of the Mesolithic period, they did not seek to domesticate wild animals. The transition to an agricultural economy only began in the Neolithic.
Childrearing in hunter-gatherer economies
The latest findings from researchers at the University of Cambridge suggest that despite relatively limited technological achievements, hunter-gatherer societies were and still are characterized by a high awareness of cooperation. An article in the journal “Developmental Psychology” describes interesting ways in which children are raised in contemporary hunter-gatherer communities.
The authors argue that mothers receive unique support from the rest of the group. Research conducted by evolutionary anthropologist Dr…
