Agent-based models of the cultural evolution of occupational gender roles

Abstract

The causes of sex differences in human behaviour are contested, with ‘evolutionary’ and ‘social’ explanations often being pitted against each other in the literature. Recent work showing positive correlations between indices of gender equality and the size of sex differences in behaviour has been argued to show support for ‘evolutionary’ over ‘social’ approaches. This argument, however, neglects the potential for social learning to generate arbitrary gender segregation. In the current paper we simulate, using agent-based models, a population where agents exist as one of two ‘types’ and can use social information about which types of agents are performing which ‘roles’ within their environment. We find that agents self-segregate into different roles even where real differences in performance do not exist, if there is a common belief (modelled as priors) that group differences may exist in ‘innate’ competence. Facilitating role changes such that agents should move without cost to the predicted highest-rewards for their skills (i.e. fluidity of the labour market) reduced segregation, while forcing extended exploration of different roles eradicated gender segregation. These models are interpreted in terms of bio-cultural evolution, and the impact of social learning on the expression of gender roles.

Developing a Multiprofessional Mobile App to Enhance Health Habits in Older Adults: User-Centered Approach

“…The occupational differences identified in our sample were also consistent with gender patterns observed in previous studies [ 28 - 30 ]. For example, the exclusivity of certain occupations among women, such as “Homemaker” and some specific professions, reflects gender occupational segregation that persists in many societies.…”

Developing a Multiprofessional Mobile App to Enhance Health Habits in Older Adults: User-Centered Approach (Preprint)

“…The occupational differences identified in our sample were also consistent with gender patterns observed in previous studies [28][29][30]. For example, the exclusivity of certain occupations among women, such as "Homemaker" and some specific professions, reflects gender occupational segregation that persists in many societies.…”

Misperception of peer beliefs reinforces inequitable gender norms among Tanzanian men

“…Yet, despite this consensus, and a long-standing interest in ‘gender role socialisation’ across the social sciences (John et al, 2017 ; Stockard, 2006 ), the social learning of gender role ideology remains somewhat opaque, and has received only limited attention by researchers adopting a cultural evolution framework (Lawson et al, 2023 ). In recent theoretical work, Cross et al ( 2023 ) argue that gender roles are best understood as products of domain-general social learning biases, such as well-established tendencies to conform with the majority which may reinforce differentiation in gendered social networks, or tendencies to imitate self-similar individuals such as those of the same sex. In small-scale ancestral human societies, it is argued that these mechanisms largely guide individuals towards locally appropriate (i.e.…”

“…This 'social norms approach' complements studies of cultural evolution, which also address the role of social information, conformity and normative sanctions in guiding behavioural variation (Kendal et al, 2018;Mesoudi, 2011). However, to our knowledge, scholars of cultural evolution have rarely addressed gender role ideology (but see Cross et al, 2023;O'Connor, 2019), or how social learning may be influenced by misperceptions about prevailing norms. This is a critical omission because, as Smuts (1995) identified, the propagation of ideologies of male dominance likely played, and continues to play, an important and unique role in shaping the resolution of gendered conflict worldwide (Lawson et al, 2023).…”