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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 16/10/2026

One of the biggest challenges in human history has been to scale up cooperation, so as to enable greater complexity. This is very difficult in tribal societies. I suggest that Islamic empires did this through strengthening brotherhood www.ggd.world/p/did-female...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Military alliances - across all world regions - repeatedly crumbled because of men's sexual rivalry & assaults. My latest essay includes stories from the Torah, the Mahabharata, Rome, the Mongol Īlkhānate, & the Mughal Empire www.ggd.world/p/rape-and-r...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

One of the biggest questions is how did cooperation expand from small foraging bands to the enormous, complex societies we see today? These accounts are overwhelmingly gender neutral. Instead, we must recognise how warrior societies repressed romantic love 👇👇 www.ggd.world/p/was-patria...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

WAS PATRIARCHY INEVITABLE? Could the modern world have emerged without male supremacy? My new essay www.ggd.world/p/was-patria...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Why are some societies matrilocal, sending sons out to other villages? One idea is that it strengthens military cooperation, as male relatives unite against shared foes But if matrilocality consolidated warrior fraternities, what did this mean for women? www.ggd.world/p/what-expla...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Is Matrilocality Over-Rated? The Siraya of Taiwan were matrilineal and matrilocal. Villages were autonomous, egalitarian and led by deliberative councils. Yet these same societies were also warring, with head-hunting and "mandatory abortions" www.ggd.world/p/is-matrilo...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

“A generation ago a woman would have been disgraced had she left her husband’s house or been seen by a stranger. If we compare those times with today, without a doubt we find that these customs are on the wane" Qasim Amin, 1899 on ongoing reform in Egypt My new essay www.ggd.world/p/behind-bol...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

At the turn of the 20th century, Egyptian & Tunisian reformists condemned female seclusion. They provide hugely valuable insights on its causes and consequences. Reading their books in translation taught me a great deal. Here's my new essay: www.ggd.world/p/behind-bol...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

"MEN ARE SLAVES TO THE WOMEN HERE!!" Fascinating to read Chinese, Turkish, Moroccan, Persian men's travelogues and diaries of Europe. I wager you will learn more from their accounts than many Western histories of the West!! www.ggd.world/p/men-are-sl...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

"Most people think think that women are not living in slavery, but in a state natural to them" Points if you can guess the nationality of the author. Double points if you know her name :-)

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

QUIZ: WHAT COUNTRY IS BEING DESCRIBED HERE? (Virtual) prize to the winner 🏆

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

New from me: What did Indian Women Make of Victorian England? Janakummah Ragaviah (from Madras) and Krishnabhabini Das (Bengal) travelled to England in the 1870s-80s, then published their observations. These books provide fascinating insights into the drivers of gender equality.

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

In the 1920s, Parisian chic went viral on silent cinema, as fashionable women in London, L.A., Japan and Mexico City started sporting bob cuts and flapper dresses. Great example of prestige bias! But did you know about the patriarchal backlash...?

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

The global spread of the "New Woman", from Denmark to Japan to Mexico over the 1920s, with Ibsen's play and a bob cut, was an early prequel to 21st century progressive feminist memes going viral on Instagram.

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

What does the World Cup, and the history of football, teach us about the drivers of gender equality? My new essay - featuring Daron www.ggd.world/p/punishing-...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

If you watched the World Cup final, you witnessed two things which are hugely important to the history of global gender relations: male coalitional violence and the rise of impartial institutions. My new essay is inspired by @dacemoglumit.bsky.social and FIFA! www.ggd.world/p/punishing-...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

The ‘Battle of Nuremberg’ (2006) saw four red cards and 16 yellow cards. Enforcing the rules appeared to provide a powerful deterrent. This hugely instructive for gender equality! It captures the importance of enforcing rules for fair play. My new essay is on punishing thuggery & cronyism 👇

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

I asked fable to calculate fouls per team per match

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

If you go to a Western museum about any country's history, it will typically highlight 'kick-ass' women who were subversive, agentic and powerful. In fact, so much of human history as been shaped by violent & aggressive struggles by gangs of armed men, competing for status.

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Does Penelope have 'agency'? Some gender historians have presented Penelope as cunning and ‘agentic’. While Odysseus is away, his wife is hassled by suitors seeking her hand and his estate. Odysseus is then congratulated for having such a devout wife. But... www.ggd.world/p/what-does-...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

What does the Odyssey teach us about European Patriarchy? www.ggd.world/p/what-does-...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

What does the Odyssey teach us about European Patriarchy? www.ggd.world/p/what-does-... drawing on @emilyrcwilson.bsky.social's brilliant translation cc @economeager.bsky.social

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Rome’s origin myth told of soldiers abducting Sabine virgins and making them mothers. This captures a universal truth: militarised patriarchs consolidated their dominance by confining insiders and raping outsiders www.ggd.world/p/confining-...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Dalit women's oppression is often written about their experiences, struggles and agency. That's hugely important, but I think it's equally useful to understand the mechanisms that enable dominant- caste men's impunity 👇 www.ggd.world/p/confining-...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Throughout history, militarised male coalitions have slaughtered rivals & captured women. Elite women struggled to exert public influence because they often gained respect through submission and self-erasure. Patriarchs thus often operated a dual strategy: confining insiders, raping outsiders.

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

I have some suggestions for how we can do gender history with greater empiricism and openness www.ggd.world/p/getting-re...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

Some feminist historians tell us that Aztec women were respected authorities, But women's life was one of relentless drudgery, spending 5 hours just grinding maize for her family's tortilla needs. Wild how the people who bemoan women's unpaid care today would minimise this in the past!!

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

Feminist historians often urge us to recognise women's agency, subversion and hidden powers But do such narratives risk creating a rose-tinted patriarchy, Downplaying the reality of imperial militarism and back-breaking drudgery? Case in point: the Aztecs! t.co/g6Mbbvt1sf

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

When do men provide devotion? If we think like economists, we might consider the market for love. Men supply devotion if they want female companionship and she insists on devotion as the price of intimacy But both of these can break down, and then he does not bother www.ggd.world/p/whats-brea...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

What's breaking the market for love? Southern Africa has made major strides towards gender equality, but it has very high rates of unintended pregnancies and single motherhood. Why is this? www.ggd.world/p/whats-brea...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Is Female Emancipation Good for Growth? www.ggd.world/p/how-does-f...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

Is Female Emancipation Good for Growth? My new essay explores the economic consequences of rising female employment and feminist persuasion... www.ggd.world/p/how-does-f...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

Did Colonialism Help or Hinder African Patriarchs? In my new essay, I introduce the colonial-patriarchal compromise and women's resistance www.ggd.world/p/did-coloni...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

India's diamond industry is built on jati endogamy - finds Kaivan Munshi. Endogamy creates dense webs of obligation, improving information flows & reducing commitment problems. Jatis create trust partly by raising daughters to marry preferred grooms, and stay put, enduring any abuse.

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

Patriarchy doesn't just puff up men's egos, it also enables men to extract rents. My essay digs into abuse in Southern Rhodesia, India's diamond industry, and Britain's old boys clubs. www.ggd.world/p/patriarcha...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Sub-Saharan Africans often valued 'wealth in people'. Women were especially valued, constituting the majority of slaves within Africa and commanding higher slave prices. Patriarchs then extracted rents by controlling that labour. www.ggd.world/p/are-queen-...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Female Power for Whom? Queen mothers, pawned girls, and the limits of the Standard Cross Cultural Sample www.ggd.world/p/female-pow...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

Why Are Sub-Saharan Africa's Earliest States now Epicenters of Terrorism? My latest essay explores argues that early rulers embraced Islam, but states were too weak to overcome ethnic divisions. Jihadis now turns those old grievances into righteous, holy war. www.ggd.world/p/why-are-su...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Crudely, there are 3 kinds of society: - Seclusion patriarchies - Fraternal patriarchies, and - Gender equality For more details on Option 2, please see my latest essay on the Chinese civil service www.ggd.world/p/will-femal...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

I would very much like to be friends with the people who understand the symbolism in this painting I edited... Made to illustrate Xiaoxia Huang's new paper :-) www.ggd.world/p/will-femal...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Female education is over-rated. Sure, it's a necessary condition for women's advance, But in seclusion patriarchies, educated women may remain economically inactive While in fraternal patriarchies, women work but are blocked from joining the upper ranks. Awesome new paper on China 👇

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

When Cities Outrun the State www.ggd.world/p/when-citie...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

Trader Joe’s does not pay me to make promotional adverts, But… Here’s my latest centre piece, made with 2 small bunches that anyone can pick up in store. (Made with floral sponge, so everything stays in place)

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

What's the most under-rated driver of gender equality? (In praise of job-creating economic growth) www.ggd.world/p/whats-the-...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

Thank you to You Gov for collaborating in a new survey on male violence in the US! www.ggd.world/p/fight-club...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

The barriers to gender equality vary worldwide. www.economist.com/by-invitatio...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

To speed up progress towards gender equality, it would help to cast aside Western centrism and tackle local obstacles. Me, for @economist.com www.economist.com/by-invitatio...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

Thank you to @economist.com for publishing my essay on "what people get wrong about women's rights"! www.economist.com/by-invitatio...

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Alice Evans @draliceevans.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

For a brief sliver of human history, modern economies generated mass demand for skills. But for most of our past, power and prestige flowed to those who could command organised violence and achieve military might. www.ggd.world/p/broken-sku...

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