Energetic Value of Women's Work: Assessing Maternal Energetic Costs From Acorn Foraging

This small exploratory study demonstrates the caloric contributions by and foraging efficiency of females. Our findings emphasize that child-carrying techniques using basketry cradles allow for improved efficiency in foraging returns compared to more commonly used slings. Our results reinforce previous findings of female foraging efficiency despite the energetic demands of infant carrying and emphasize the energetic contributions of females to human evolution even during child-rearing.