This paper argues that the
preferential treatment for men has remained a constant in human history. It discusses how this
preferential treatment can be discerned in primitive hunter-gatherer societies in pre-history. These differential roles have continued among different nomadic tribes in Africa. The paper looks at the interaction of globalization and
traditional sexual values among the immigrant Hmong people in the United States. The paper reflects on how these traditional patriarchal roles continue to affect and, in many cases, restrict the full participation of women in political and economic life.