BaYaka mothers balance childcare and subsistence tasks during collaborative foraging in Congo Basin

Visine, Amandine E. S.; Boyette, Adam H.; Ouamba, Yann Reische; Lew-Levy, Sheina; Sarma, Mallika S.; Jang, Haneul

Abstract

Across cultures, mothers balance childcare with other labour. Hunter-gatherer mothers face a daily choice of whether to take infants on foraging trips or leave them with caregivers in the settlement, as well as deciding with whom to forage. Yet, it remains unclear how infant presence affects mothers’ mobility and food returns during group foraging. Using GPS, heart rate measurements, and food return data from 348 foraging trips by 22 BaYaka mothers in the Republic of the Congo, we found that mothers go on longer-duration foraging trips when they take infants along, compared to when they leave them behind. Despite this, infant presence does not affect mothers’ mobility, energy expenditure, or food returns. Mothers also go on longer-duration and longer-distance trips during group foraging, compared to foraging alone. However, they have decreased food returns in larger groups with more adults, possibly due to food competition. Nevertheless, BaYaka mothers maintain their energy expenditure and net food returns in general, regardless of infant presence or group dynamics, likely due to their individual foraging strategies and support from group members. Particularly, children in foraging groups increase mothers’ food returns, aligning with women’s reports of children assisting as caregivers. These findings provide insights into how BaYaka mothers accommodate childcare with subsistence activities during group foraging.

Citation

Visine, A. E. S., Boyette, A. H., Ouamba, Y. R., Lew-Levy, S., Sarma, M. S., & Jang, H. (2024). BaYaka mothers balance childcare and subsistence tasks during collaborative foraging in Congo Basin. Scientific Reports, 14(1), Article 24893. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-75467-1

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 7, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Oct 22, 2024
• Publication Date: Oct 22, 2024
• Deposit Date: Oct 31, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 31, 2024
• Journal: Scientific Reports
• Electronic ISSN: 2045-2322
• Publisher: Nature Research
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 14
• Issue: 1
• Article Number: 24893
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-75467-1
• Keywords: Hunter-gatherer mothers, Trade-offs, Childcare, Group foraging
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2988849