Gender is one of the universal dimensions on which status differences are based.

Unlike sex, which is a biological concept, gender is a social construct specifying the socially and culturally prescribed gender roles that men and women are to follow. Sadly, throughout history women have always had the lower status than man; however, the struggle between the sexes varies across cultures and time. Images of women are far more frequent and outnumber images of men from the Paleolithic period. These findings have led controversy about the status of woman during the Stone Age "…

that possibly a matriarchy existed and women ruled" (Whitcomb). That means men haven't always been the leaders; it's not an inborn quality. Among the earliest objects that have survived from that time are stone figures archaeologists have given the title of Venus of Willendorf, found in Willendorf on the Danube (Austria) dating back about 24,000-22,000 BC (Whitcomb).

She is one of many statues of this type. The Venus of Willendorf was carved from oolitic limestone, and was covered with a thick layer of red ochre when she was discovered in 1908 by Josef Szombathy (Whitcomb).She is the earliest known representation of the human form. This proves that human’s have always been curious of the human body because of the way the statue is depicted both female and nude. In today;s society, the form this statuette takes would not be considered attractive.

She would represent a fat woman, which contradicts her name Venus, the beautiful Greek goddess of sexual love and beauty (Whitcomb). Venus defines perfection. When we hear of the name Venus, the ideal woman that defines beauty comes to mind. However, Venus of Willendorf was far from perfection and beauty as Christopher Whitcomb has explained in his argument.

The statuette, small enough to fit comfortably in the hand, and probably made just for that purpose, is a large, little woman. Her hips are…