The women's movement in Japan and its effect on the workplace

The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of women in the Japanese workplace. Data obtained from in-depth interviews and questionnaires, shows that the Japanese workplace is in a state of change moving toward a higher level of opportunity for female workers. While similar to the circumstances experienced by Western women, the changes which Japanese women are experiencing have their own history and thus are analyzed from a non-Western perspective. Some key aspects of the analysis include: training, separate positions for men and women, tasks, and perceptions of gender discrimination. For men and women who held the same jobs it was found that the majority of training experiences were gender neutral. This is consistent with the fact that Japanese companies must make training equal as mandated by the 1985 Equal Employment Opportunity Law. In the workplace, however, discrimination has taken the form of separate positions for men and women. While there were informants who were both supportive and un-supportive of job separation, it was clear that this practice resulted in lower salaries and fewer high level positions for women. When males and females held the same positions, 17% of women were given different duties. These duties included serving tea, cleaning, and hostessing, all of which are tasks generally done by a wife for her husband. Thus in some instances domestic roles determine tasks assigned in the workplace. From the informants' responses a Japanese definition of gender discrimination was formulated. Culturally, gender discrimination was noted in terms of treating women differently than men, but also included improper sexual advances. A full 80% of the study's informants acknowledged the existence of gender discrimination in the Japanese workplace. Finally, from this sample it was determined that cultural relativism, internal labor market theory, and human capital theory are all compatible tools for analysis of the Japanese labor market

Genomes from Verteba cave suggest diversity within the Trypillians in Ukraine

The transition to agriculture occurred relatively late in Eastern Europe, leading researchers to debate whether it was a gradual, interactive process or a colonisation event. In the forest and forest-steppe regions of Ukraine, farming appeared during the fifth millennium BCE, associated with the Cucuteni-Trypillia cultural complex (CTCC, ~ 5000-3000 BCE). Across Europe, the Neolithisation process was highly variable across space and over time. Here, we investigate the population dynamics of early agriculturalists from the eastern forest-steppe region based on the analyses of 20 ancient genomes from the site of Verteba Cave (3935-825 cal BCE). Results reveal that the CTCC individuals' ancestry is related to both western hunter-gatherers and Near Eastern farmers, has no local ancestry associated with Ukrainian Neolithic hunter-gatherers and has steppe ancestry. An Early Bronze Age individual has an ancestry profile related to the Yamnaya expansions but with 20% of ancestry related to the other Trypillian individuals, which suggests admixture between the Trypillians and the incoming populations carrying steppe-related ancestry. A Late Bronze Age individual dated to 980-825 cal BCE has a genetic profile indicating affinity to Beaker-related populations, detected close to 1000 years after the end of the Bell Beaker phenomenon during the third millennium BCE

Dental Health and the Transition to Agriculture in Prehistoric Ukraine: A Study of Dental Caries

Bioarchaeological studies have found that, in general, the adoption of agriculture is associated with deteriorating oral health, most frequently manifested as an increase in the prevalence of dental caries. However, compared to other regions of the world, bioarchaeological studies focusing on prehistoric Europe have produced more variable results, with different populations experiencing deteriorations, improvements, and stasis in oral health. This study assesses the oral health of individuals of the Tripolye culture buried in Verteba Cave, Ukraine, within the context of the transition to agriculture in Eastern Europe. We compare the rates of dental caries between Tripolye farmers with earlier hunter-fisher-gatherers from Ukraine. The Tripolye were found to have carious lesions on 9.5 per cent of teeth, while the hunter-fisher-gatherers were found to be universally free of carious lesions. A Fisher's exact test demonstrates that this difference is statistically significant, supporting the model that the transition to agriculture was detrimental to oral health in prehistoric Ukraine. This could be related to the manner in which grain was processed by the Tripolye and the needs of their relatively population-dense society

The Biological Implications of the Transition to Agriculture in Ukraine: A Study of Enamel Hypoplasias

The Tripolye were the first archaeological culture in Ukraine to cultivate domesticated cereals, practice animal husbandry, and establish large settlements with high population densities. This cultural adaptation was much different than that of mobile hunter-fisher-gatherers of the Ukrainian Mesolithic/Neolithic, and likely resulted in different outcomes for human health. This study compares the rates of enamel hypoplasias in a Tripolye skeletal population with that of Mesolithic/ Neolithic hunter-fisher-gatherers. A recently excavated sample of dentitions representing a minimum of 35 individuals from Verteba Cave was examined macroscopically for hypoplasias and was compared statistically to published rates for hunter-fisher-gatherers. The Tripolye from Verteba Cave were found to have at least one enamel hypoplasia on 18.18% of teeth, while the hunter-fisher-gatherers have hypoplastic lesions on 1.88% of teeth. When examined at the individual level, 48.57% of the Tripolye were found to have at least one hypoplasia, as compared to 12.77% of the hunter-fisher-gatherer individuals. The results indicate that the agropastoral Tripolye experienced significantly more systemic stress than the hunter-fisher-gatherers. The higher stress likely relates to dietary and behavioral variables associated with the Tripolye's agropastoral economy, including heavy reliance on cereals as weaning foods and sanitary problems linked to sedentism

Violence at Verteba Cave, Ukraine: New Insights into the Late Neolithic Intergroup Conflict

Many researchers have pointed to the huge "megasites" and construction of fortifications as evidence of intergroup hostilities among the Late Neolithic Tripolye archaeological culture. However, to date, very few skeletal remains have been analysed for the types of traumatic injury that serve as direct evidence for violent conflict. In this study, we examine trauma on human remains from the Tripolye site of Verteba Cave in western Ukraine. The remains of 36 individuals, including 25 crania, were buried in the gypsum cave as secondary interments. The frequency of cranial trauma is 30-44% among the 25 crania, 6 males, 4 females, and 1 adult of indeterminate sex displayed cranial trauma. Of the 18 total fractures, 10 were significantly large and penetrating, suggesting lethal force. Over half of the trauma is located on the posterior aspect of the crania, suggesting that the victims were attacked from behind. Sixteen of the fractures observed were perimortem and 2 were ante-mortem. The distribution and characteristics of the fractures suggest that some of the Tripolye individuals buried at Verteba Cave were victims of a lethal surprise attack. Resources were limited due to population growth and migration, leading to conflict over resource access. It is hypothesised that during this time of change, burial in this cave aided in development of identity and ownership of the local territory

New AMS Dates for Verteba Cave and Stable Isotope Evidence of Human Diet in the Holocene Forest-Steppe, Ukraine

Excavations at several locations in Verteba Cave have uncovered a large amount of human skeletal remains in association with faunal bones and Tripolye material culture. We aim to establish radiocarbon (14C) dates for eight sites and to evaluate whether these deposits are singular events, or slow accumulations over time. 14C measurements, along with stable carbon and nitrogen isotope data from human and faunal remains, were collected from 18 specimens. Stable isotope values were used to evaluate human and animal diet, and whether freshwater reservoir effects offset measured dates. We found diets of the sampled species had limited to no influence from freshwater resources. Human diet appears to be dominated by terrestrial plants and herbivores. Four new sites were identified as Eneolithic. Comparisons of dates from top and bottom strata for two sites (7 and 20) reveal coeval dates, and we suggest that these deposits represent discrete events rather than slow continuous use. Lastly, we identified dates from the Mesolithic (8490±45 BP, 8765±30 BP), Iron Age (2505±20 BP), Slavic state era (1315±25 BP), and Medieval Period (585±15 BP), demonstrating periodic use of the cave by humans prior to and after the Eneolithic