Gender Roles

The men are responsible for the majority of work that is considered important. The women tend to the children and cook. In a marriage, the wife is expected to have certain things done, and the husband is completely in charge. The wife can't act without the husband's permission.

Sometimes if the husband's hunting carries out through the night, he will do some of the wife's duties like caring for the children, or making sure there's water in their home, and so on. The wife sometimes as well does the husband's duties. Recently, the women have been fishing more, and if there's a conventional kill for food, they won't pass up the opportunity. A woman won't use a hunting weapon though. They will be considered ignorant by the others in their village.

Originally in the late 50's, if a man was seen doing a woman's job he was often ridiculed, yet in the 60's husbands and wives began to carry water and fire wood to their homes together.

In their families, the males are dominant, and the women are servants. They are expected to please the husbands and tend to the sons. It's more idealistic to have sons than daughters. The boys are allowed to do whatever they please as they are growing up while the girls are with their mothers doing work.

Women also have no choice in marriage. They are married off to whatever male offers the best living circumstances.

Basically, the men have complete power, and the women don't have much choice to anything. Women gain status as they get older. They are respected if they have raised many males, and most interestingly, if they are big gossipers. The more a woman knows about the sex scandals, and this neighbors problems and that neighbors children, and so on, the more people admire her.

Peters, John F. Life Among the Yanomami: The Story of Change Among the Xilixana on the Mucajai River in Brazil. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1998.