--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was called evolutionary biology. Under…" description: "\"“It was called evolutionary biology. Under its sway, the sexes were separated again, men into hunters and women into gatherers. Nurture no longer forme..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54d/jeffrey-eugenides-462_feminism_it-was-called-evolutionary-biology-under_1534845.jpg" --- # It was called evolutionary biology. Under its sway, the… ![“It was called evolutionary biology. Under its sway, the sexes were separated again, men into hunters and women into gatherers. Nurture no longer formed us; nature did. Impulses of hominids dating from 20,000 B.C. were still controlling us. And so today on television and in magazines you get the…” quote by Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54d/jeffrey-eugenides-462_feminism_it-was-called-evolutionary-biology-under_1534845.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54d/jeffrey-eugenides-462_feminism_it-was-called-evolutionary-biology-under_1534845.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54d/jeffrey-eugenides-462_feminism_it-was-called-evolutionary-biology-under_1534845.jpg) > ““It was called evolutionary biology. Under its sway, the sexes were separated again, men into hunters and women into gatherers. Nurture no longer formed us; nature did. Impulses of hominids dating from 20,000 B.C. were still controlling us. And so today on television and in magazines you get the current simplifications. Why can't men communicate? (Because they had to be quiet on the hunt.) Why do women communicate so well? (Because they had to call out to one another where the fruits and berries were.) Why can men never find things around the house? (Because they have a narrow field of vision, useful in tracking prey.) Why can women find things so easily? (Because in protecting the nest they were used to scanning a wide field.) Why can't women parallel-park? (Because low testosterone inhibits spatial ability.) Why won't men ask for directions? (Because asking for directions is a sign of weakness, and hunters never show weakness.) This is where we are today. Men and women, tired of being the same, want to be different again.”” [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage suggests that modern gender differences stem from ancient evolutionary roles, attributing traits like communication and spatial ability to biological determinism rather than social conditioning. **In simple terms:** Gender traits are claimed to be rooted in evolution, not nurture. Key Takeaway Question how much biology truly dictates behavior. Themes gender biology evolutionary psychology stereotypes nature vs nurture Mood critical analytical thoughtful Type explanatory controversial When to use this quote - relationship counseling - education - workplace dynamics - parenting - media analysis Key Concepts evolutionary determinism sex differences social constructs Questions to Reflect On - Are these evolutionary claims supported by current science? - How do cultural factors interact with biology? A Different Perspective Biological explanations can oversimplify complex social influences and ignore cultural variation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Men and women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-and-women/) ## Related quotes > [To rightly recognize that men and women are equal under the law is perfectly removed from the fact that men and women are distinguishable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gad-saad/to-rightly-recognize-that-men-and-women-are-equal-under-the-law-is/) [Gad Saad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gad-saad/) > [“Sex is no longer a beautiful thing", she said. "It has become an entirely separate entity from what was quaintly known as making love.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-carroll/sex-is-no-longer-a-beautiful-thing-she-said-it-has-become-an-entirely/) [Jim Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-carroll/) > [How close the sexes sometimes come to one another. 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I don't start extremely early.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/i-spend-most-of-every-day-writing-i-like-to-write-every-day-if-i-can/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [Maybe the best proof that the language is patriarchal is that it oversimplifies feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/maybe-the-best-proof-that-the-language-is-patriarchal-is-that-it/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [We knew that Cecilia had killed herself because she was a misfit, because the beyond called to her, and we knew that her sisters,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/we-knew-that-cecilia-had-killed-herself-because-she-was-a-misfit/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [You can tell when something's not moving forward anymore. 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Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/) Yoram Wind [Browse all 15,705 Feminism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It was called evolutionary biology. Under its sway, the sexes were separated again, men into hunters and women into gatherers. Nurture no longer formed us; nature did. Impulses of hominids dating from 20,000 B.C. were still controlling us. And so today on television and in magazines you get the current simplifications. Why can't men communicate? (Because they had to be quiet on the hunt.) Why do women communicate so well? (Because they had to call out to one another where the fruits and berries were.) Why can men never find things around the house? (Because they have a narrow field of vision, useful in tracking prey.) Why can women find things so easily? (Because in protecting the nest they were used to scanning a wide field.) Why can't women parallel-park? (Because low testosterone inhibits spatial ability.) Why won't men ask for directions? (Because asking for directions is a sign of weakness, and hunters never show weakness.) This is where we are today. 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