Women gathered, women nurtured.

Things were simple: he was the lunch-chaser, she was the nest-defender. The woman's role was clear. Being the child bearer, her skills became specialised to meet that role. She needed to be able to monitor her surroundings for signs of danger, have excellent short-range navigational skills using landmarks to find her way and have highly-tuned ability to sense small changes in the behavior and appearance of children and adults.

Her success was measured by her ability to sustain family life. Her self-worth came from the man's appreciation of her home-making and nurturing skills. She was never expected to hunt animals, fight enemies or change light bulbs.

Extracted from'Why Men Can Only Do One Thing At A Time And Women Never Stop Talking' by Allan And Barbara Pease.